


Crusin' for a Brusin'

by HermesSerpent



Category: LazyTown
Genre: ? I think, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Bikers, Alternate Universe - High School, Biker Gangs, Developing Friendships, Elf Sportacus (LazyTown), Fae Robbie Rotten, No shipping, Past Child Abuse, Platonic Relationships, Urban Fantasy, more violence than cannon, this doesnt come up till later
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-03
Updated: 2020-05-10
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:29:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 28
Words: 36,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22536283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HermesSerpent/pseuds/HermesSerpent
Summary: The Tainted Dragons, a fae biker gang, have always despised their rivals, an elvish biker gang by the name of The Brass Falcons. No exceptions. The reverse has also always been true. Why, then, is an elf trying to become friends with a fae in the soul-sucking halls of high school?Join Sportacus, an elf always looking for positives, Robbie, a lazy fae, as they battle a host of enemies, like insomnia, loneliness, and family expectations!Characters are going to be OOC. Sorry about that.Honesty, this was a joke to my self after thinking that Sportacus sorta looked like Butchy from Teen Beach Movie and Robbie's hair kinda reminded me of the other bikers. Then I went and made it serious. Kinda. Sorry if the summary is lame, I'm not the greatest at coming up with them.
Relationships: Glanni Glæpur & Robbie Rotten, Robbie Rotten & Sportacus, Íþróttaálfurinn & Sportacus (LazyTown)
Comments: 39
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

Sportacus leaps down the stairs, cartwheeling around the corner. He bounces to his feet, snatching an apple as he flips out of the open window. He quickly moves over to his bike and revs the engine. The elf puts his helmet on and grins. He lets the bike give a satisfying roar before taking it to the streets. Humming to himself, he tears through his gang's territory towards school. Sportacus lets himself get lost in the feeling of speed and purr of his engine. He lets himself take the turn into the school’s parking lot with a bit of drift, his bike tilting at an adrenalin inspiring angle. He parks in his space, bouncing off of the bike and pulls his helmet off. He checks that his bandana is still covering his pointed ears, tugs on his leather fingerless gloves and decides to enter the building at a run with a few extra flips that end right as he reaches the point he would start to get in trouble for them. His crystal, resting on his belt buckle sends a soft pulse through his magic, alerting him that he has entered neutral ground. The elf bounces on his feet as he walks through the halls, biting fiercely into his apple. A few teens give him a glance but leave him alone. They recognize the gang patch on the back of his leather vest. No one wanted to get into the crosshairs of The Brass Falcons, one of two major biker gangs in town, by messing with the youngest member. While the patch kept him from being bullied for his short stature, it did make it difficult to connect to others. Not that it would have been easy anyways, with him having to keep his true nature secret from any potential friends.  
Last year it had not bothered him as much, as his older brother Íþrót had still been in school. Luckily, it is his senior year, so the loneliness would not last more than a year. Sportacus tosses his apple core into a bin in the corner of the classroom that he enters. His teacher huffs in annoyance at the leather-wearing teen’s exuberance. Sportacus tries to get the energy out of his limbs before class starts by shaking them. It is an attempt made in vain, and the elf knows he is in for a twitchy couple of hours. He sighs a bit sadly as he longingly glances out of the window to the street beyond where he could be flipping or riding. 

\------------------------------------------------------------

Robbie cracks one eye open to gaze forlornly at his clock. Great. Late again. Now he was going to get a write-up and probably a call home. The fae stands from his hunched position at his desk where his body had given up and allowed him to sleep. He rubs his eyes as he stretches his wings. He then folds them down using magic to bind them and then slips on a tight dark purple turtleneck to help keep them pinned if his magic slipped. Wearily, he slips his leather jacket over the turtleneck, humming as he feels the familiar warding magic emanating from the dragon patch on the back. Not just further binding for his wings to keep himself safe from humans, but also a defence from all who would mess with him. The Tainted Dragons had a pretty nasty reputation as a biker gang in town. After finishing getting dressed, the fae exits his bedroom. Robbie walks into the bathroom and slicks his hair back. He then exits the house and hops on his bike. Maybe he could sneak past the hall monitors and get to first-period without a write-up. The teacher was chill if the student was not caught beforehand.  
Robbie shivers as he enters the building, feeling the familiar tug at his magic that reminded him that he had entered neutral ground and was away from his gang’s safe territory. He pushes the feeling away, and sneaks to his first-period class, using only a touch of magic to escape detection of the hall monitors. Robbie settles into his chair with a tired but soft groan. His stomach makes a small complaint, reminding him that he had failed to fill up on breakfast before coming into the building. Robbie does a quick search through his bookbag and smiles at the sight of his recently restocked supply of candy bars. At least that was some good news. 

\-----------------------------------

Sportacus bounces around the gym, taking the opportunity to just move freely. He had been sitting far too long in his personal opinion. The elf balances on his hands and lets his legs swing overhead to settle into a bridge. Gym class is honestly his favorite, with many different activities to do and so many different healthy tricks to learn. He barely constrains himself from fully throwing himself around the room, knowing not to any overly grand stunts. The coach calls everyone to the center of the room, announcing a game of basketball. Sportacus grins, readily tugging on a blue mesh to indicate which team he’s playing for. Today is shaping up to be pretty good.

\--------------

Robbie blinks at his mechanics’ teacher who is grumbling at something he had done to a machine in class. He had taken this elective in the vain hope that it would be fun, but of course he got stuck with the grumpy no-nonsense teacher who did not approve of his involvement with his cousin’s gang. Robbie just nods minutely, hoping the man will wander away to bother some other kid. The fae knew his designs were almost always flawless, much to the irking of his teacher. Honestly, days like this made Robbie wonder why he chose to not simply follow his cousin Glanni’s advice to simply drop out. The dark-haired teen twists a piece of his machine with a scowl marring his face.  
He knew why he stayed. He wanted to get his degree and reach a level of education no one in his family had obtained yet. He came from a family of flunkers, skippers, and dropouts, a point which is often brought back to his attention by the teachers that disliked his attitude. He wanted to upstage them all and prove that a Rotten could do it. So he stuck to it.


	2. Chapter 2

Sportacus sat alone outside on a wall, chewing on an orange. Lunch is a lonely affair, normally taken alone outside if the weather is nice enough. The elf shifts into a middle split to stretch his legs as he pulls out a book. Every so often he moves to another position, unable to sit still, even when doing homework. The elf jots down answers in between carefully balance pushups. He sees movement from the corner of his eye. Glancing up, the elf spots a taller teenager strolling to one of the school’s trailers. Sportacus watches as the teen nods in time to music that is being played in a set of headphones on his head. The dark-haired teen blows a bubble and lets it pop with an almost satisfied smirk.   
Sportacus recognizes the teen from the rival gang, The Tainted Dragons. The guy looks… Tired. The elf quietly watches as the other passes, taking note of the purple baggs forming under the eyes of the other. The teen does not seem to notice him. This is proven when the Tainted Dragon member throws his arms wide with a tune coming from his mouth, punctuated with a sudden twirl and a series of dance moves.  
“Determinate! Determinate!”  
Sportacus lets out a small laugh and snorts at the sheer dorkiness of the actions. The other teen spins violently to face him, yanking the headphones away from his ears.  
“You got a problem?”  
A sneer overtakes the tired enjoyment that had been resting there a moment before. Sportacus sighs and shifts into a different stretch.  
“Not really trying to start anything. You do know the school’s neutral ground?”  
The taller teen narrows his eyes, and Sportacus catches a hint of embarrassment there. If he were his brother, he probably would chase that in hope of throwing his enemy off balance. But instead, the elf just feels a bit bad for having seen a private moment.   
“Yeah. I know bird-brain. Where’s the rest of your crew? I thought Falcons flocked together.”  
Sportacus shrugs off the insult.   
“Graduated.”  
“That’s why the school has felt safer.”  
The other teen mumbles to himself.  
“Were’s your gang?”  
The taller teen crosses his arms.  
“Dropped out.”  
Sportacus nods. That would explain the more neutral feeling on campus. It also meant that the two of them were the only members of the gangs left in school. The taller teen starts moving away.  
“As enlightening as this was, bird brain, I have some work to do. Plus we aren’t really supposed to talk.”  
The teen turns to walk away. Sportacus, driven partially by the fact he had not had a conversation with anyone since he awoke that morning bounces off the wall, grabbing his stuff in one swift motion.   
“Why not?”  
The taller teen looks down at him incredulously. He turns and points at the patch on his back.   
“Have you not noticed birdy? I’m a Dragon. You’re a Falcon. Got it.”  
The other keeps moving. Sportacus runs and cartwheels to stand in front of the other.  
“Sportacus.”  
“What?”  
“I’m Sportacus. And we’re both alone here. I’m not suggesting that we be buddies off-campus, but maybe while we’re here we could give each other company?”  
“Loneliness seems like a you problem Sportaflap.”  
“Sportacus.”  
This earns him an unimpressed eyebrow raise.   
“Whatever.”  
The other moves into the trailer and Sportacus does not follow. Why had he even considered that idea? Thinking about, the elf realizes the flaw in his offer. He was an elf from a biker gang offering someone from a fae rival biker gang his company. It could not have worked. Sportacus winces as his thoughts sound like his brother’s voice. He could not wait for the day to be over so he could join the rest of the gang to roam their side of town. 

\-----------------------

Robbie rubs his eyes. What had that been all about earlier today with Sportabird? Some weird plan to try and trick him? Really poorly executed honestly. Who would fall for such an obvious lie? The fae rubs once more at his heavy eyes. If he could just shake this tiredness, maybe he could think through the situation. He had never really had any interactions with the other gang other than snide remarks tossed back and forth in the halls and rumbles out in the city. Robbie falls down into his bed, hoping to catch some sleep and then rethink the issue.   
His attempts are broken by loud noises filling the house. Sounds like the whole gang is home and partying. Must have made some score while he was at school. Robbie growls and pulls headphones over his ears. All he wanted to do was sleep after a bad day at school, but it seemed like the universe was scheming against him. The building seems to throb with the music playing from the speakers. Robbie knew better than trying to ask his cousin to turn it down or leave.   
After such a rotten, confusing day, the fae just wanted sleep. He yanks on his jacket exits the house and hops on his bike. He ignores the calls from other gang members, rightly assuming that they were all just attempts to get him to join the party. Driving out into the city, Robbie feels calm settling over him with each breath of air in safe territory.   
His family had been ruling the south side of Busycity in some fashion for a long time now. A court of fae that adapted to the times like few others had managed. They had been able to twist their magic to cling to the buildings as it had once clung to trees, marking territory and giving safety. Sure humans mucked around, but none were able to enter the innermost sanctum of the territory which is the city block Robbie is currently riding away from. His family line was the rulers of the court which sort of made Robbie a prince and Glanni a king. No one really used those archaic terms anymore, but fae still respected the claims of blood on power in a court. It was the main reason that, despite being one of the younger members of the gang, Glanni is in charge.   
Robbie drives out to the edges of both the city and the gang’s territory. He shudders a bit as he toes the very edge of the protective warding alone. He turns to drive along the boundary, catching sight of an abandoned factory that lay partially in both gangs’ territory and partially in neutral territory. The fae finds an entrance big enough for his bike that lay in his gang’s territory and rolls in. He then leans against the wall and settles into sleep after turning on an alarm for the next morning so he could get to school on time. The factory is cool and fairly silent. Robbie wonders why he had never considered this avenue of escape before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Im falling in love with this au.


	3. Chapter 3

Sportacus bounds over a wall, catching the edge of a roof and then fully pulling himself up. He had spent some time with his brother and some of the others in the gang riding through the city helping a few different people, but he had started getting a bit too twitchy to remain on his motorcycle. He rides home and starts parkouring across the city. Sportacus twists in the air and begins to walk on his hands near the edge of a building. He fights the urge to flip backwards towards the ground and settled for cartwheeling along the fringe of the roof. The slight danger of it sends thrills through his veins. Then he gets a call. Sportacus moves to a more stable position at the center of the roof and answers the phone.   
“Hello?”  
“Tíu, you got to stop showing off on the tops of buildings. I love that you are so into being athletic, but it’s really a waste of the gang’s time responding to fears of a young man hanging out near ledges.”  
The elf winces at the sound of his brother’s voice, hating that he is causing issues. The Brass Falcons where know on the north side of the city as almost a second police force, with the danger being called into a phone number that was plastered all over the gang’s territory. More often than not they were called in to put a stop to violence or active crime but were also occasionally called in for more mundane help. They had an odd reputation as a biker gang that gave a helping hand. But such was the elves nature to desire to aid those around them especially anyone in the clan. Sportacus had gotten in trouble more than once for parkouring out in the open in ways that appeared dangerous to common citizens.  
“Sorry brother. I’ll find something else to do.”  
“Like your homework, I hope.”  
Sportacus winces once more, having been caught dodging his least favorite activity. He only disliked it because it required that he sit still even after a whole day of squatting in a chair at school. His brother huffs out a laugh and Sportacus smiles. It was not too bad. He could do it! If he could figure out how to do a corkscrew while landing on his bike from the top of the garage, he could most definitely attempt to figure out how to finish his homework. He tells his brother goodbye and jogs home, careful not to pull too complex of stunts on his way there. The elf wishes internally that he had somewhere he could freely fly without getting concerned calls to his brother. He does not notice the small shift in magic that loops around him and tucks itself next to his crystal. 

\-------------------------

Robbie rolls up to school on time with a bag of donuts. A few were for his teacher for letting him slip in without hassling him. Gifting is not a typical fae activity, but Robbie is pretty thankful not having to deal with a call home. The rest were for his lunch in a couple of hours. The teen sips on his coffee letting the heavy sweetness flood his mouth. A bike pulls up beside his in the few motorcycle-only spaces at the school and its rider removes his helmet. The short elf waves happily at Robbie, who shoulders his book bag with a huff.  
“Did you think about my offer?”  
The smaller teen leans against his bike, giving a quick bite to an apple after making his inquiry. Robbie makes a noise of disgust at the action.  
“Yeah. No. I dunno what kinda trick you’re trying to pull off birdy, but you should leave the deception to the Dragons.”  
The shorter makes a noise of protest as Robbie starts moving away without turning his back.  
“I’m not trying to trick you! I just figure since neither of us has anyone here and its neutral ground we could be, well not friends, but friendly?”  
The elf’s face seems to scrunch up, and Robbie is suddenly able to read from his face that none of this is planned. Oh no. The sheer absurdity draws out a touch of amusement that is not quite enough to cause any outward signs. Had the loneliness driven the elf mad?  
"Firstly, do you not remember our gang's rivalry that spans this entire city? Secondly, I like my quiet during the lunch period which is the only time we would have if we wanted to interact. Thirdly, I really do not want to expend the extra effort that it would take to be nicer to a Brass Falcon."   
Robbie ticks off each point with his finger still moving towards the building. The elf bounces beside him, not taking the hint.  
"It wouldn’t have to interfere with our families' businesses. And I can be quiet! I have to be in class all the time! And it's no extra effort to just be in a similar area."  
Robbie shivers as his magic picks up on a chance to make a Deal. All this negotiation back and forth is messing with his nature. Robbie paces into his first-period classroom and pulls out the smaller bag of donuts that are for the teacher, dropping it carefully on the desk. The elf is still at his side and moves to sit on his desk when he sits down.  
"I'm pretty sure I'd get in trouble with my gang if they found out I was fraternizing with the enemy."  
Robbie tilts back in his seat as he watches the Falcon attempt to think through the issue.   
"Now go to class Sportaflap. The bell is about to ring and I don't want to be in trouble for you being here."  
The elf sighs and then give the fae a small wave. Robbie feels his magic start to calm as the chance for a Deal moves away. What a weird elf.

\-------- 

Sportacus decides to hunt down the taller teen during lunch, driven by both a lack of other things to do and a weird sensation his crystal is sending him. It's not the normal shrill beep that a clan member is in danger, nor is it the soft hum of someone in his gang’s territory needing help. The teen adjusts his light blue bandana to make sure his ears are covered before starting his search through the school. He chews on a carrot as he speeds walks, fending off hunger. There!  
Just beyond the window sat the taller teenager. The dark-haired youth is munching on a chocolate-covered donut while reading and listening to music. Sportacus winces at the sight but decides to push past it with a slight encouragement from his crystal. He jimmies open the window and slips out, closing it behind himself.  
“Hello!”  
The teen jerks violently, choking on a bit of donut. He hurried swipes the crumbs from his black pants and dark purple turtleneck. He pulls one of his ears free of the headphones.  
“What do you want Sportaflop?”  
Sportacus smiles despite the harsh tone. The shorter boot-wearing teen finishes his carrot and starts working on pulling out a book.   
"I told you I wanted company and that I can be quiet. I'm here to prove these points."   
The taller groans and leans his head against the building.   
"Well, I'm too lazy to move. Stay silent Birdy or I'll have to break the neutrality of the school grounds."  
Sportacus nods, opens his mouth, and then raises his hand instead when he takes a second to consider his actions. The taller teen stares for a second at the raised hand.  
"You have a question?"  
Sportacus nods.  
"Shoot."  
"What's your name?"  
The Dragon pauses with an odd look crossing his face. Sportacus moves to clarify.  
"Not your true name! But one I can call you by."  
The fae rolls his eyes.  
"I knew what you meant Sportadumb. Robbie."  
"Robbie."  
Sportacus tests out the sound of the name and makes mental note to remember it.  
"Now shush."  
Sportacus lies down on his stomach and reads his assignments for the night, legs silently kicking in the air. It is nice is calmly rest next to someone. Lunch period passes quickly, silent aside from Robbie's chewing and the soft swish of Sportacus' legs through the air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not going to lie, I'm mixing and matching myths and magic rules from different things I've read. So if things don make sense, its probably because I mixed wrong.  
> Also friendship. ish. Yay!  
>  Thank you for reading!!


	4. Chapter 4

Robbie returns to the factory a few days later, deciding that he wanted to explore it more fully before turning it into some sort of private hideout. He paces through the main room which is fairly large. There are beams forming a sort of the second floor above him. He pokes at the abandoned machines with a murmur, letting his magic gently slide across their surfaces. A list of components curls through his mind. His ancestors used to do much the same with trees, checking on their health with simple, soft touches. The building purrs quietly to the fae, half hoping to have someone bring sound once more to echo off of the walls. Robbie croons softly back melting into the hopes of the building, careful not to step into the territory of The Brass Falcons. It felt… Safe.   
He walks back to his bike, very satisfied with the space. Perhaps he could bring in a few pieces of comfortable furniture and some pillows and a blanket or two. He whispers while patting the door frame, promising to return. The building whines but does not even try to jam the door, a fact that Robbie is thankful for. He pulls his magic back, shivering as he loses contact with the emotions of the building. It has been a pretty long time since he had touched emotions with a building. Much less one that was not heavily touched by other members of the Court.  
Robbie rides on his motorcycle back through the city. His mind curls back to the situation with Sportacus. He honestly is baffled by the elf’s desire to be friendly. Robbie runs a hand through his hair, twisting the situation around inside of his mind. The Falcon’s actions felt random, out of nowhere, which oddly enough made Robbie more trusting of the elf’s goal. He had also felt lonely sitting in the school without his gang to be accompanying him. It had been oddly pleasant to have someone nearby while eating lunch. The elf had even failed to comment about his food choices, a comment that often had been aimed at him and other members of his gang in the last couple of years of school by The Brass Falcons. Elves were notorious health freaks. Robbie grumbles to himself, unsatisfied with the situation. He decides not to bring up the issue to his cousin. It would just be an extra worry to toss on top of planning heists. Robbie tucks it back into his mind along with his plans for the factory. For now, he had to focus on whatever scheme his cousin had come up in the last few days since he had seen him.   
\---------------------------

Sportacus launches himself through the air, catching the edge of a balcony and flinging out into the open air. He is closer to the edge of his gang’s territory than he would normally go on his own. But his magic had been making him jittery and had been buzzing in his veins from his crystal. For some reason, it is pushing him to explore the emptier parts of town. Which is fine with the elf, as it meant that he is less likely to receive a call from his brother irritated over his antics being reported. He feels a sudden yank on his crystal’s magic. He follows it, sailing through an open window of a run-down factory. All of a sudden the frequent buzzing and pushing disappears. Sportacus gasps at the sudden vanishing act. He shudders and glances around the building. He can practically taste the boundary of his gang mingling with the very edge of The Tainted Dragons territory. It seemed that both mingled around the front entrance but the main large room of the factory is neutral territory. There is an entrance on the side facing The Brass Falcons and one on the side of The Tainted Dragons, each large enough to pull in a bike. Sportacus looks out at the beams that span across the second floor of the factory with a couple of catwalks here and there. He violently grins at the sight. His magic had been pulling him since he made a wish for a safe place to parkour and now the wish had been answered.   
He laughs heartily at the revelation, amused by the strange ways in which magic worked. The elf throws himself forward and lets out a happy croon as he lands on a beam. He dances through the air, playing in the moonlight that filters through the holes in the roof. Magic tinkles in the air as he twists and rolls.   
\-------------------

Robbie stares blankly at his cousin.   
“Come on Robbie. I need you for this plan to work! You are just fantastic at disguises.”  
The fae blinks at Glanni. The smile starts to slip from the leader’s face.  
“What’s the matter?”  
“I have school tomorrow.”  
“So?”  
“I have a major test.”  
“And?”  
Robbie quickly glances around to make sure no one else is around. He really does not what to look like he is trying to undermine the hierarchy of the Court. No one else is in the room.  
“Glanni. You know school is really important to me. I only have this year left. But I can’t just miss days and still expect to graduate.”  
The leader huffs and sprawls himself out on the cushioned armchair.  
“You don’t need any more school. It’s too much like work. You can count, right? That’s all you really need. An ability to keep the books balanced.”  
“I know you don’t understand, but I really have learned a lot, just by sitting in a chair in a classroom. It’s not that much work.”  
Robbie puts on an air of nonchalance but is actively worried inside of his mind that he might misspeak and offend his cousin. The magic of disagreeing with the leader of the Court is already making his stomach feel ill. Glanni looks unimpressed with his answer and Robbie knows he needs to offer up a different solution. He starts again.  
“With a high school degree, I’m more likely to be hired and taken seriously.”  
Glanni raises a defined eyebrow and motions for him to keep speaking.   
“This will help in heists where we want to have someone working the inside of a company to get us access to the building or goods.”  
The leader nods with contemplation crossing his face. Robbie breaths.  
“I’ve been working on some patens for machines. It will be easier to negotiate for higher prices to own the designs if the companies feel that they are dealing with someone competent. This would probably be even truer if I got a college degree, but I’m not going to ask you for that.”  
Glanni tilts his head and puffs his cheeks.   
“You make good points. I don’t really think its that important, and I’d much rather you be out with us on jobs.”  
Robbie winces and sags a little. Glanni seems to take note and seems satisfied that any decision he made would be respected.  
“But, it’s important to you. And I guess it could be to our advantage. Now, this doesn’t mean I’m going to help you. It just means I won’t try to get you involved in heists that take place during school. All other hours belong to the gang.”  
The statement is made with such ferocity, Robbie can practically see the familiar pink sparks of his cousin flaring. His instincts call out that this is the king of the Court he belongs to; that he should obey. On a less instinctual level, Robbie is thankful for the decision, despite the threat it posed to his homework and sleep.   
“Of course.”  
Robbie tips his head in acceptance. Glanni smiles, stands, and ruffles the youngers hair.   
“Good.”  
Glanni straightens Robbie’s jacket, adding another layer of wards.  
“Oh come on Glanni!”   
The older hums happily at the grumpy pout on Robbie’s face. Booping his nose, Glanni saunters off to another part of the house, tossing an invitation over his shoulder to join him in the planning room. Robbie smooths his hair back into place and then follows behind his cousin.


	5. Chapter 5

Sportacus watches Robbie with some confusion as the other yawns for the umpteenth time during the lunch-period. They were once more sitting outside. Sportacus had been doing pushups while reading another section of the book for his class, hoping to get it done before he went home. Robbie had not even protested Sportacus joining him outside. The elf shifts into a sitting position and slowly raises his hand. Robbie looks at him and sighs.  
“Yeah?”  
“Are you… Are you alright Robbie?”  
“That’s really none of your business birdy.”  
The taller teen slowly blinks at him. Sportacus twitches, feeling awkward.  
“If you need to, you could try and nap and I could wake you up in time for class?”  
Sportacus fidgets and twists to be smaller, embarrassed at his own brashness. He hated feeling so unsure of himself. In a fight, his brother had always told him that he should be sure of his next step, and Sportacus took that advice to heart. Robbie yawns.  
“I really don’t trust you, but I’m pretty sure I’m going to crash anyways.”  
The elf decides to do something dangerous. Something that his brother had always warned him against. But he is trying to build up some sort of friendly acquaintance at school.   
“I’ll make a Deal with you. I promise to keep you safe while you sleep this lunch period and to wake you up for our next class today.”  
Sportacus holds a hand out.  
“You do understand what making a Deal means to a fae?”  
“Yep.”  
Robbie rubs his eyes, seeming to think over the offer. He then takes Sportacus’s hand and shakes. Sportacus feels both of their magic react slightly to the Deal and settle into a binding link between the two.   
“Nighty night Sportabird.”  
Robbie leans against the wall, closes his eyes and seems to instantly fall asleep. Sportacus keeps an ear open for any trouble but nothing happens. The bell goes off giving a fifteen-minute warning for getting to class. Sportacus shakes the fae awake and the Deal resolves without and consequence. Robbie gives the elf the first half-smile that Sportacus had seen directed at himself and then walks off to class. The elf feels rather pleased with himself and figured this was another positive step forward. 

\-----------

Robbie taps his pencil against the wood of the bar, mind blanking on the next step for the chemistry problem that he is working on. It is material that he normally would enjoy but currently, he just feels frustrated. Robbie glances around the tavern, noting the relaxed air the rest of the gang held. Glanni is leaning against the bar nearby, discussing something or another. Robbie sips on his soda, leaning his head in his hand. Glanni looks over and catches Robbie’s eyes. He moves to stand next to his cousin.  
“Glad you could make it out tonight.”  
“It was not really a choice.”  
Glanni laughs and pats his back adding another layer of warding to his jacket.  
“Really? Now I stink of pink and brown sugar.”  
Glanni cheerfully musses up the youngers hair as Robbie takes off his jacket and starts redoing his wards.   
“Never can be too safe you know. Especially since you’re spending several hours away from the gang in the neutral territory near The Brass Falcons.”  
“There’s only one Falcon at the school. It’s not as dangerous as you are trying to make it out to be Glanni.”  
Robbie feels the jacket starting to feel more like his own purple magic as he yanks, pulls, and weaves the protection. He leaves a few strands of Glanni’s magic so that the other would know if he got into trouble.  
“Oh? Only one?”  
Robbie rolls his eyes as he shrugs the jacket back on.   
“Yeah. You always tell us to be aware of the dangers around us. It’s part of rule number one.”  
“And? What’s the rest of rule number one?”  
The younger fae rubs his face.   
“Always be aware of the dangers around you, especially keeping an eye out for elves.”  
Glanni gives him a large smile of approval. Robbie gives him an unamused stare and then returns to his homework. Probably for the best not to mention that he had put his trust in an elf for a whole lunch period. 

\-------------------

Sportacus ducks beneath his brother’s fist. He the tucks into a backflip and swings his foot underneath Íþrót. The older elf bounces upwards out of the way. Sportacus twist out of the way of a kick aimed at his head. Practicing fighting is a common occurrence when their side of the city is quiet. Sportacus decides to bring up an issue that had been on his mind for the past week.   
“How do you get someone to trust you?”  
Íþrót dodges backwards with a thoughtful expression.  
“Trust is fairly hard to grow. Much like friendship, it can be a sword. Dangerous to all parties if handled wrong but a useful tool for protection if it’s ever needed.”  
Sportacus nods silently, listening intently to the higher ranking elf.   
“I’ve found that making allies is easiest if you invest in their interests or make a few key trades with them. That’s the main reason we can rely on the Scratching Cats whenever they pass through.”  
Sportacus recognizes the name of another biker gang, made up of mainly witches and warlocks. He could recall his brother going to meet with them to hand over a few rare plant items in exchange for a couple of enchanted items. Sportacus wounders how he could apply this to Robbie. As far as he knew, the fae like sweets, sleeping, and maybe school. The elf knew his brother would not approve of this attempt at peace in the school. But it had been so nice to have someone around during lunchtime. It also had been somewhat nice to greet the other in the mornings at the bike parking spots. Sportacus twists on his feet, working through his thoughts. Maybe some sort of exchange should be done? He feels bad internally as he thinks over the situation. The elf had just been taking Robbie’s time without really giving anything back. Sure, he had watched over Robbie once, but that felt like barely enough to cover allowing him to chill nearby without attacking. His mind had been too distracted and Íþrót manages to land a hit in the center of the young elf’s chest.   
Sportacus laughs off the slight pain and then excuses himself to go work on homework. Íþrót seems pleased with this announcement, knowing that the youngest elf of the clan was often reluctant to complete the homework.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're building trust! Here comes the friendship!


	6. Chapter 6

Robbie finishes pushing the dumpy couch into the main room of the factory. He tucks it into a corner and flops down dramatically on it. He had found the piece in a nearby dumpster and had requisitioned it for himself. It had been so much work dragging it here, but hopefully would be completely worth it. Robbie loved the silence that the factory offered compared to the often loud house or tavern. It is absolutely perfect for homework, sleep, and designing new machines. Robbie lets out a satisfied hum and lets himself slip into feeling out the emotions of the building. It sings happily back to him, glad to have someone inside once more. Robbie feels a wave of confusion filter in as the building happily whispers about someone dancing around for the first time within it. He had never danced here. The factory seems fairly excited to be a place of comfort and fun rather than stress and work. Robbie sits up and starts pulling out a few materials from around the room to start working on a new invention. He calmly sings to himself and forgets about the strange information that the factory had mentioned, instead of letting the buzz of happiness swish through him. He silently wonders if this is what his ancestors in the forest had felt when they bent flowers into cloaks and hid in the arms of tree branches.   
\------------------------

Sportacus parks his bike just inside the hallway that leads into the main room of the factory. He steps into the main room and freezes. Magic is tangible in the air. It’s not violent or angry; rather it was smooth and calm. Sportacus stays quiet and just inside the doorway. From here he can just barely see Robbie working on something that lays on the floor. The elf knows he should leave. This is obviously a safe haven of sorts for Robbie. But he had never seen the other look so at ease.   
Sportacus quietly scales up the wall and uses the beams to move closer to Robbie without disturbing the fae. He watches the other work with great interest, seeing the small flashes of purple that curls around the machine. The smell of sugar and blueberries permeates the air. Sportacus lays down on the beam, content to sit and watch. He barely twitches and time seems to fly. The elf is simply enchanted by the bending of magic before him. There had never been a time that the elf had sat still for so long. He ends up falling asleep, only waking up when the sun hits his face. Luckily it was a weekend. Robbie is still below him but is now passed out on a tattered couch. Sportacus removes himself from the building and drives away. He would come back another time to parkour through the building. 

\-------------------------

Robbie silently stares upwards as Sportacus flys across to another beam, pulling off a triple flip. He sticks to the shadows as the factory practically croons with happiness at the “dancing”. Oddly enough, Robbie is not bothered by all the noise. His eyes silently track the movements of the other. A pang of worry, which surprises the fae, enters his blood. Some of those beams had to be rusty or rotten. He begins making a mental list of all the materials he would need to make repairs. It would also make it less likely that the roof would come collapsing down on him when he sleeps here.   
He waits until Sportacus has left before he exits the shadows. He then quickly sets about hunting down a ladder inside of the factory. Finding a sturdy ladder, fae climbs up to investigate the beams. Some could be fixed with touches of magic, but the rest need complete replacement. The fae sighs at the thought of doing so much work but starts doing the initial repairs, trying to leave the light blue strands of magic left by the elf alone. He hoped the other would not take any notice of the changes. To be safe from the outside world, Robbie requests the factory use some of his magic to tint the windows. It does so and he releases clouds of purple into the air to more easily seek out the issues he could handle. Exhaustion hits in a few hours later and the fae collapses on to his couch. In a final act, he sets an alarm for school and then immediately fades away. 

\-------------

Sportacus waits quietly in the parking lot alone, having arrived earlier than normal for school. He had been able to release so much energy last night. His brother had not been called and he had been able to flip around until he was completely satisfied. The sky is cloudy, promising rain later in the day. He spots Robbie pulling up and sees that the taller teen is slumping tiredly. The other kicks out his break with his foot, yawning.  
“Hi, Robbie.”  
“‘Lo birdy.”  
Robbie yawns again and stretches his arms upwards. Then the teen begins to trudge towards the building.   
“Long night?”  
“Yeah. I got a design itch that wouldn’t go away.”  
“Oh? What were you working on?”  
Sportacus cartwheels beside the taller teen as Robbie keeps moving.   
“It’s a secret Sportaflap.”  
The elf laughs and bounces back to his feet to walk properly into the school. The fae seems to think over something.  
“Have you ever been on a trapeze?”  
Sportacus blinks at the sudden question.  
“No? I mean I'd love to try. But it's not likely to happen.”  
Robbie hums. The two walk into Robbie’s first period with the fae seems to be working through an idea. Sportacus sits on the desk, aimlessly kicking his legs. He lets out a sad sigh. Robbie raises an eyebrow. Sportacus begins to speak.  
“I wish..”  
A hand is suddenly over his mouth and Robbie looks wide awake with horror shining in his eyes.  
“Are you that dumb? Never make a wish if you can help it, even to yourself silently! And never ever make a wish out loud. You have no idea who might hear you!!”  
Sportacus gently removes the hand looking a bit shocked.  
“I mean I know that genies can be dangerous but they tend to be obvious?”  
Robbie looks pained.  
“You can't always be sure. My dad made that mistake once. You only get to make that mistake once. And Genies are not the only wish granters! Have you never heard the tale of the girl who made a wish into the air and then faded away?”  
Sportacus slowly shakes his head. He feels oddly touched that Robbie had been so fearful of the implications of wishing into the air. He also silently wonders what had happened to Robbie’s father but knows better than to ask. Robbie settles into storyteller mode.  
“There once was a girl a long time ago who was deathly ill. She was trapped in her bed and was so sad that she might die before seeing her favorite flower bloom once more. She told her mother that she wished that she could be like the flowers that grew beside the steps. Her mother hushed her, worried that goblins or others had heard her. The mother thought she heard laughter after the wish, but soon forgets it as her daughter begins to look well as the first days of spring began to occur.”  
Sportacus sits still, listening.  
“The girl was overjoyed, rising from her bed and often speaking to the now blooming flower next to the doorstep. With each day she seemed to grow more beautiful. This beauty caught the attention of a traveling merchant who started to court her. One day as she lay asleep beneath a tree, he plucked the flowers she loved so and weaved a crown. He woke her, presenting the gift. Instead of being pleased, she cried and snatched the crown to her chest as she fled into the house. She began to fade as the flowers withered in her hands and soon she died.”  
Sportacus blinks and frowns, feeling the clear warning present in the story.   
“Oh.”  
Robbie nods, satisfied that the point had been made.   
“Okay, what if I phrase it this way: It’s too bad that we are in rival gangs, I would like to be your friend.”  
Robbie stiffens at this and stares blankly at the elf.   
“What?”  
Sportacus gives a sad smile. He probably should have kept his thoughts to himself. He stands and leaves the classroom, feeling that he has crossed a line.  
“Sorry for bothering you, Robbie.”  
The fae’s face shifts but the bell rings, making sure that Sportacus won't be followed. The elf tugs on his blue bandana, nervously making sure his ears are covered. Geeze. He probably just messed up this whole friendly arrangement. Sportacus slumps in his chair, idly swinging his feet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some world building and furthering of friendship! Ill prolly publish some more next Friday or Saturday. Thank you so much for reading!! Please comment or message and questions or clarifications that might be needed!!


	7. Chapter 7

Robbie hunts down the short elf during the lunch period. The other had failed to find him in his first-period teacher’s classroom, where they normally ate lunch when it rained. Annoyance colors his every step. He has searched most of the building, making sure to cover all of his bases before venturing outside into the pouring rain. He groans unhappily before he steps outside. He soon finds his elf acquaintance balancing on a wall.  
"Birdy, what are you doing out here? Trying to catch your death?"  
"I figured you'd want me to back off, cause of what I said."  
Robbie huffs, tugging on his jacket. This water could not be good for his purple converse. He stares at the elf who is drenched with the rain.  
“I’m too lazy to try and get used to being alone again.”  
Robbie kicks the dirt, embarrassed, but knowing he needs to somehow reassure the elf if he wants his acquaintance to stick around. Sportacus is refusing to look at his face. Robbie searches for something a little kinder to say.  
“It’s been nice. Eugh. I hate to admit it Sportaflap. But it’s been pleasant to have someone to talk so that the day is not soaked in silence. Before you started hanging around, I would at most talk to one or two teachers with a handful of sentences until I got home. It would be miserable to go back.”  
The elf’s eyes lock onto his, glittering with an oddly fierce intensity. It is then that Robbie notes that the elf is shivering. The fae sighs and leans against the wall next to the shorter. It figured the elf would be dumb enough to sit outside in the rain in only a blue T-shirt and leather vest; not even a raincoat.  
“I feel like I’ve taken advantage of you.”  
Robbie huffs at this statement.  
“Come on birdy. Don’t be talking like that.”  
The elf curls inwards.  
“My brother says that alliances are based on trades. But I’ve been taking time from you and not giving anything in return. Not a very fair trade.”  
Sportacus gives a sad little laugh. Robbie hates the noise. He hates this whole interaction. Elves were supposed to be bouncy all the time, or at least Sportacus is supposed to be. The other looks like a drowned puppy.  
“Hush. None of that. As the only fae here I think I know about fair trade. And you using up my time at school is equivalent to me not being lonely. Come inside and we can sort this out into a contract if that will make you feel better? I don’t think a formal contract is necessary, but I don’t want you to feel like this again. I mean I still don’t think interactions outside of school are the best idea. But I still want to hang out during lunch and in the beginning of the day.”  
Robbie catches himself rambling. But it seems to have made the elf happier. Sportacus is giving him a smile. Robbie rolls his eyes and gives the smaller a little shove. Sportacus bounces off the wall and the two of them move inside. The smaller is still shivering. Robbie sighs, and drops his jacket over the elf’s shoulder. He then pulls a charm from his pocket that he kept for rainy days and drops the necklace over the elf’s head. It instantly dries the smaller clothes. He then starts down the hall. Robbie can hear footsteps following behind him.  
“Robbie?”  
The elf seems startled and confused. Fine by Robbie.  
“Library has some books on legal terms. I wasn’t kidding about the contract.”  
“What? I mean yes makes sense, but I’m confused about the jacket and necklace.”  
Both are now entering a busier part of the school and Sportacus seems to be avoiding words that clue the humans around them into the magic nature of the two. They enter the library and move to a table in the back where no one else is.  
“If you get sick, you won’t be here. So contract.”  
Robbie pulls out a few sheets of paper and some pens. He then stands and walks to a shelf. He chooses a few different books including a legal dictionary, just in case. Robbie is determined to keep the look of depression and worry off of the elf’s face. Sportacus gives him a beaming smile as the taller drops the books onto the table. Robbie finds himself internally lamenting the fact they cannot just be normal friends.

\----------------------

Sportacus happily jots down what he would want in the contract. He tugs on the borrowed leather jacket that is spelled to warm the wearer. He finishes his paper with a smile and looks at Robbie. The tall fae glances at him and then takes the finished paper. He looks between the paper he has written on and Sportacus’. He jots a few things down on another sheet and passes it back to Sportacus. The elf looks it over and hums to himself, marking it with some red marks. The bell rings and Robbie scratches down a few extra notes on yet another sheet. He hands it over to Sportacus.  
“Look through this, I’ll take the sheet you first made to keep it in mind while making a draft. I suggest you take some time to draft something yourself.”  
Sportacus nods and sweeps up the two papers that Robbie is holding out to him. He feels excited by the forming of this contract. He is quick to return the jacket and charm with a thank you before hurrying off to class. For the rest of the day, he thinks through what things he wants to be outlined between the two. He did not want to bind Robbie in any way and he also wants to make sure he is not taking advantage of the other’s willingness to hang out. The elf scratches down ideas, marks through them, and then forms a few more. He barely registers any information from any of his classes.  
Sure it is a risky move getting into a long term Deal equivalent with a fae, but Sportacus feels that it will be worth it. When he arrives home, he works through his homework quickly and then starts drafting points that he thinks would be useful for the full contract.  
First, he wanted Robbie to be able to say that he no longer wanted to hang out. Second, neither of them could push the other for information about the other’s gang. Third, keep this a secret from others. Sportacus knows that his brother might just kill him for getting this involved with a fae. He twirls a pencil while tilting his seat backwards. He gets a knock on his door which causes the elf to move forwards quickly. He sweeps the sheets into one of his homework binders and then yells out.  
“Come in!”  
Sportacus looks to his door where his brother is entering.  
“Need something?”  
“I haven’t seen you all day little brother.”  
Íþrót smiles grandly and ruffling his brother’s golden hair. Sportacus sneezes as the smell of his brother’s mustard magic tickles his nose. He can feel the protection drifting over his body. He smiles at the gesture. Sportacus twitches in his seat as his mind shifts back to Robbie.  
“I had a lot of homework. Hey, I was wondering, why are we rivals with The Tainted Dragons?”  
Íþrót freezes with a clear look of confusion.  
“Don’t you remember any of Pabbi’s lessons?”  
Sportacus shifts in his seat and frowns.  
“Well, he died with Mamma when I was five. I remember some things.”  
Sighing sadly, Íþrót wraps an arm around his younger brother’s shoulder. He takes a deep breath and starts speaking.  
“Well as leader of the clan it’s my job to inform the next generation of elves about the dangers of the world. So! A long time ago, before this city was built to be tall and grand, there was forest and glades. The elves lived in the glades, enjoying the moonlight and aiding any human that passed through. Helping others has always brought joy to our clan of elves. However, in the forest lived a Court of fae, whose main goal in life was to trick and take advantage of all those who passed through. Despite opposing goals, the clan and the Court never really fought. But then this changed. A dragon came into the area, trying to claim both the glades and forests. The fae arranged a deal with the dragon and allowed it to stay in the area. The elves recognized the danger the dragon posed and tried to reason with the fae. The fae had entered into a Deal and refused to help the elves. Destruction came soon to both the forest and glade. The peace between the clan and the Court that had once been, broke.”  
Sportacus blinks, his foot tapping against the floor. His nose scrunches up in thought.  
“But why does it continue?”  
Íþrót stretches his back with a pop.  
“Well, the fae kept tricking humans and undo any and all work elves have done to help them. Sometimes it goes beyond pranks and gets into life debts.”  
“Oh.”  
“Oh, indeed Tiu. As the saying goes: avoid the fae and…”  
“There will no reason to rue the day.”  
"Right."  
Sportacus sighs as his brother leaves the room, tossing an invitation to ride a little later. Something about the story felt off. But it is kinda ancient history now and nothing can be done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I updated the tags. The images are from my tumblr.


	8. Chapter 8

Robbie sucks on the straw that is sitting in his bottle of soda. He patiently watches as Sportacus looks though the contract he had developed the night before. The elf nods to himself with a hum. He passes over some of his own notes. Honestly, the fae had been nervous that the elf would reject the terms of the contract outright. He notes that many of the things Sportacus wrote the night before match his ideas. After receiving his version back with some red scrawl on it he takes the two and forms a final draft. This does not take very long and he passes it to Sportacus.   
“Are you sure you want to do this in contract form birdy? I am okay with things staying as they have been.”  
Sportacus gives Robbie a bright grin.  
“No. I want to do this. I want to make sure I don’t take advantage of you or have you feeling like you or I have a debt to the other. I know we can’t be normal friends. But this is closer to the real thing. Probably the closest I’m gonna get. Which is fine!”  
Robbie nods.  
“If you’re sure. So, the contract currently states that it can be voided at any time by either party for any reason. That makes sure we don't get stuck. Next, it states that neither of us shall discuss this contract with anyone else unless a situation arises that makes it dangerous for us to keep silent about it. Neither of us has to hang out each day if we don’t want to. But warning should be given if the other decides to stay alone for more than three days or decides to void the contract. This contract guarantees neither will attack the other while at school. Physically or with magic. We do not have to contact each other outside of school. It is suggested that we do not meet outside of school hours. During school hours we will spend the mornings and lunch-periods hanging out. This contract can be changed whenever either of us agrees on an alteration. Any questions?”  
Sportacus nods. Robbie gestured for him to continue with his question.  
“If we are going to be acquaintances, can I have your number? So we can tell each other when we don’t want to hang out and stuff like that.”  
Robbie agrees, having thought about the issue himself. He hands his phone over to the elf. Sportacus taps in his number and Robbie adds him as a contact under a fake name. The fae then enters his number into the elf’s phone. The two both then recheck the contract and sign it. Then they both reach out to shake hands. Robbie feels his magic rise up to lock the Deal. He tries to push it down but then feels the elf’s magic rise in return. The smell of fresh bread and apples fills the air mixing with Robbie’s own magic’s smell of sugar and blueberries. Sportacus grins and takes the taller’s hand. There is a small flash between their hands and the Deal is sealed. Robbie feels the Deal fold into his magic. A strand now exists between the two, unseeable to everyone else.   
“Oh…”  
“I wasn’t expecting that.”  
Robbie stares down at his hand, feeling his wings twitching beneath his bindings. Sportacus blinks and taps his belt buckle. The bell rings and the two glance at each other.  
“So, see you tomorrow?”  
Sportacus gives him a bright smile, seemingly already over the odd actions of the magic. Robbie nods with a disbelieving chuckle.   
“Yeah. Sure.”  
\-----------------------------------

Sportacus stands on his hands on the wall, staring down at his homework.  
“Trouble?”  
Robbie asks. The elf gives a half-hearted grin.  
“Hey, Robbie. Yeah dealing with some math.”  
The fae swipes it off the wall. He peruses it with a contemplative look.   
“You wrote three instead of a five in this problem.”  
Sportacus lets out an oh noise. He quickly corrects the issue. Munching on an apple, elf finishes up the sheet and asks that Robbie checks it. The fae makes a show of rolling his eyes but quickly complies. He points out the mistakes and lets the elf retry. Sportacus happily try again, while finishing his food. The fae looks at him strangely.  
“What?”  
“Was that apple all you had for lunch?”  
“Yeah? I had a large breakfast, and there is always food at home to eat as soon as I get there.”  
The fae digs through his bag. He then holds out a few bars of candy.  
“A single apple is not enough.”  
“Thanks for the thought, but I can’t eat candy. I’m kinda really deathly allergic to that high of a concentration of sugar.”  
Sportacus knows that a fae offering gifts without strings attached is rare, and genuinely feels bad for rejecting the offer. Robbie looks shocked.   
"No candy? No sweets? No cake or icecream?"  
Horror fills the fae's voice as the elf shakes his head to each new item. The fae goes back into his bag with a look of determination.  
"Fruits are sweet. Can you have all of those?"  
"Yes. But Robbie, I'm fine, honestly."  
The taller shakes his head and keeps rooting around in his bag. He pulls out a bag of fresh strawberries that have a cup of sugary cream to go with them. He then keeps digging and pulls out bread with a chocolate dipping sauce that is in a separate container. He hands the nonsugar parts of the food over.  
"How do you have?"  
The elf is interrupted.  
"Magic Sportadumb."  
Right. The elf feels kind of dumb.  
“Don’t you need these?”  
Robbie waves his candy bars beneath the elf’s nose while shaking his head, which causes Sportacus to scrunch his nose up.   
“You can’t live off of candy alone.”  
“Fine. I’ll cut a deal with you. You eat more at lunch and I’ll eat a single healthy item that you choose.”  
Sportacus holds out a hand with a pleased look crossing his face. Robbie shakes his head with bemusement and takes the hand. Magic sparks in both of their palms. Sportacus then takes a bite out of the bread, munching happily.   
“I’ll bring an apple for you tomorrow. No adding caramel or sugar Robbie!”  
The fae huffs good-naturedly.   
\----------------------

Robbie blinks at his cousin who has just removed his headphones.  
“Yeah?”  
“Your magic has been brighter lately.”  
“Huh. Weird.”  
Robbie tries to go back to work on his project.   
“Nuh-uh. Tell me what’s up. Spill the tea.”  
“I’d rather not.”  
“Pluh-lease.”  
“Glanni. I’m just feeling better lately. No tea. No deals. Just got things going well with my classes."  
"Why are you lying? Is there some Deal you don't want to tell me about?"  
Robbie sighs, knowing his cousin is not going to let the subject drop.  
"Fine, you caught me. I was embarrassed to tell you about such a small Deal. I tricked a classmate into doing a Deal with me over a group project. They do the least amount of work possible and I get them a good grade."  
Glanni seems pleased with this answer. The older laughs at the oddness of the Deal. Robbie shrugs off any guilt he feels at lying and gets back to finishing his homework.


	9. Chapter 9

Sportacus watches curiously from the shadows as Robbie balances on a ladder inside of the factory. The elf thinks that the other is installing some sort of rope. Sportacus had noticed that the beams were being repaired in the building in between his visits and could understand the logic behind Robbie doing that. What he couldn't understand is this new addition of a rope and a few bars hanging from another set of ropes. Robbie pulls on the rope and seems to be tucking it into the beam, using some purple magic on it. The elf hears Robbie mutter to himself after the entirety of the rope had been hidden away within the beam.  
"Let's see if this works. Rope!"  
Suddenly the rope comes flying out and knocks Robbie off balance. The fae flails his arms and Sportacus is moving before his brain can fully think. He springs upwards, snatching the taller from the air, twists and manages to hook his legs through the hanging bar. It is difficult to retain his hold on the fae while hanging upside down but Sportacus manages, with a little bit of extra magic pushed into his arms. Robbie blinks in surprise and seems to be at a loss for words.   
"Birdy?"  
Sportacus flashes a strained grin and begins swinging back and forth.   
"Hey, Robbie. I'm gonna try to swing over to the rope, okay? You grab it when you can."  
"You aren't going to drop me?"  
The taller's voice is filled with fear. Sportacus feels the arms desperately clinging to his shoulders tighter.  
"I promise Robbie."  
The elf keeps swinging. He soon is close enough for Robbie to reach out and grab the rope. The fae holds on a little tighter before shakily stretching one arm out as the two swing towards the rope. Once it is secure in one hand, Robbie grabs with the other. He lets out a sigh of relief as he moves from Sportacus to the rope. The fae climbs to the top of the rope and onto the beam which is a short distance. Sportacus keeps swinging, switching his position, and then sails through the air to safely land on the same beam as Robbie.  
“Are you okay Robbie?”  
“Yeah. I owe you one Sportacus.”   
There is a tint of magic accompanying those words.   
“No, you don’t. What were you even doing?”  
“Well, I had seen you here before. And I know how much you like to flippity floppity all over. So I was trying to repair the beams so that the place doesn’t fall on me.”   
Robbie crosses his arms and Sportacus feels a bubble of happiness rise in his chest.  
“You were doing this for me?”  
“No Sportadumb. Didn’t you hear me? I was fixing it so the roof didn’t fall on me.”  
“Then why did you add a rope and a trapeze bar? Come on Robbie, just admit it. You were doing something nice for me.”  
“Whatever. Think what you will. Can you go get the ladder so that I can get down?”  
“One thing first, does this mean that you won’t try to kick me out of this space?”  
Robbie scrunches his nose.   
“If you aren’t going to try to deprive me of my hideout away from home I see no reason to remove it from you. I only ask that you be quiet, especially if I am asleep. I’ll try to get some sound dampening set up if the two of us are going to be here at the same time.”  
Sportacus nods and scales down the wall and grabs the ladder. He positions it so that the fae can get down from the beam. Robbie happily gets down.  
“What did you do to the rope, right before it knocked you down?”  
“Oh yeah, that. I’ve been working with a new spell, mixed with a rune that I found on a druid rune app. So you just yell and stuff will fall or shoot out. I was going to tell you after I had tucked a couple of things around the building.”  
“That’s amazing Robbie!”  
Robbie waves his hand through the air, shrugging away the praise.  
“Fae can use druidic runes? I thought each species of magic-user could only use magic from their group?”  
Sportacus asks, curious, He is in awe at the amount of magic being used in the building now that he is seeking it out and feeling it.   
“Yeah. No. So how it works is if the magic is similar you can use it. Fae are nature-based, mainly, and druids are also typically nature-based, this means that runes that work for a druid, who isn’t constructing them in another vein of magic, can be used by a fae. It’s safer to use druid runes because they take less magic, are less likely to be noticed, and if noticed don’t reveal that a fae has been in the area. It’s like using a shower overusing a waterfall.”  
The elf nods a look of contemplation crossing his face.  
“What runes do you think I might be able to use? I never have been great with elvish runes but I wonder if some other types might be easier.”  
Robbie lets out a hum.  
“What kind of magic do you have? I know elves can be varied based on the… court?”  
Robbie settles on the last word but looks like he knows that it is not quite accurate.  
“Clan. And you’re right. My family mostly deals with wind and air, with an emphasis on cold. Sometimes plants, but not as strongly because that was a while back in the family tree.”  
“A wind elf?”  
“Yeah. We have an affinity for birds and stuff. It’s a bit of a joke to any other clan we run into, but it certainly helps with sticking landings and having eyes everywhere.”  
Robbie raises an eyebrow with interest.  
“What my cousin wouldn’t give for that kind of information network. But, back to the discussion of runes, druidic stuff might work, maybe stuff from weather wizards? I could help you do some research if you let me sneak a peek at elven runes.”  
“Only if I can see some fae stuff.”  
Sportacus responds with a grin holding out a hand. Robbie seems to think this over and then nods. Neither even flinches at the magic forming a Deal between the two. Just another thread to hold them together. They continue talking about magic into the night before both depart back home.

\---------  
Robbie doodles a rune design as he sits at the bar. He had been tucking hundreds of items around the factory and was starting to get to items that were a little more problematic, like food. Glanni is working on an agreement with a witch who wanted to set up a shop in their section of town. They seemed to be discussing location and bargaining on prices for different items that might be sold. Robbie keeps out half an ear, ready to catch any information that might interest him.   
He erases a wayward spiraling line. He taps the page with an unhappy frown. His pocket buzzes. The fae pulls out his phone and checks who has texted him. Its the false name that he had put in for Sportacus.   
‘Do you like plants?’  
Robbie raises an eyebrow. This most certainly is not what he expected from a first text.  
‘Yeah. Why?’  
‘I figured I should add some flair to our group project.’  
Group project? Did the elf mean the factory? That would make the most sense. Robbie decides to accept his own conclusion as true for now.   
‘Fine by me. If you can find vines, that would cool. But whatever you want. Not too many flowers, I'm allergic to pollen but can stand it in small amounts”  
‘Vines! Got it!’  
Robbie rolls his eyes and slides the phone back into his pocket. Now he needed to think through a system for watering plants because he certainly wasn’t going to remember to do it all the time. He finishes up with a sketch of the rune and examines it closely. Its a mixture of fae and druid runes. The fae portion of the runes was hidden beneath the bold lines of the druidic writing. He feels an arm drop over his shoulder. He glances at his cousin who is now inspecting his work.   
“Trying to hide food somewhere?”  
“It might be useful to have stashes at school. You can probably use this for something.”  
Glanni nods with a look of interest filling his face. The older straightens and calls over another member of the Court. The woman is a fourth or fifth cousin. She is one of the Courts magic specialists. She hums and mumbles to herself while inspecting the creation and then makes a second drawing beneath Robbies, with some corrections. She then walks away to go back to whatever she had been doing. Robbie looks at the redraw with interest to try to figure out what she had changed since she had not decided to give an explanation for her changes. Glanni pats his cousin’s shoulder.  
“She does that ever time. But your base was really good, she only added two small things!!”  
“Thanks, Glanni.”  
His cousin smiles and then sits on the stool next to him. It seems that he is in for a conversation a bit longer. Glanni sits and talks to him for a long time afterward, working to find out what machines Robbie was designing and how the younger's week had been. Robbie relaxes into the conversation. They also discuss a recent Deal Glanni had made with someone from the other side of the city. It had been a while since the two of them had sat down and chatted.


	10. Chapter 10

Sportacus swings on the trapeze, building up momentum to go flying up onto a beam. He cartwheels before backflipping off.  
"Rope!"  
The elf grabs the rope as he falls downwards. He swings back up to continue his acrobatic stunts. Below him, Robbie is working on modifications for his own motorcycle. On a few of the beams towards the center of the room, pots are hanging with vined plants. The vines stretch downwards towards the floor. There is a large window in the center of the roof that allows in light during the day. Robbie had gotten Sportacus to install a machine into the roof that would cover the window with a simple verbal command. Its currently uncovered and moonlight is filtering in. A pocket of air exists between Sportacus that the two hard-worked together to creat. It was unnaturally thick, slowing anything that moved through it and muffling noise. Robbie wanted to make sure that they did not bother each other and that any mistake Sportacus may make would not be his last. It looked almost like a mist. Sportacus stands on a beam, stretching his arms.  
“Ladder!”  
A rope ladder falls from another beam and Sportacus moves over to it. He climbs down and watched with some amazement as it, along with the trapeze bars and the rope disappear upwards into the beams. Robbie has turned to look over at the elf, face covered with some grease.  
“Hey, birdy. Tired of flippity flopping?”  
“A bit hungry and tired yeah.”  
A big grin crosses over Robbie’s face.  
“Then call for food.”  
Sportacus blinks with confusion. He watches as Robbie smirks and shouts.   
“Candy bar!”  
A candy bar comes flying across the room and hits Robbie in the chest. He lets out an oof as he loses the air in his lungs. After making sure the other is okay, and receiving reassurance Sportacus decides to try. Robbie refuses to tell him what the options are.  
“Er… Apple?”   
An apple came flying across the room. Sportacus twists out of the way catching it in the palm of his hand. He smiles happily.  
“Thanks, Robbie!”  
“Sure thing. Hey I just wanted to let you know I got the electricity and water working here, so we have a bathroom and a microwave now.”  
“That’s amazing Robbie! Is there anything I can do to help? You’ve done so much to make this place really super impressive.”  
Robbie seems to think this over.  
“I don’t want to put any pressure on you. I really like your plants. Maybe more stuff like that. Like ground plants. Oh, and maybe a bookshelf.”  
Sportacus is hit with an idea.   
“How would you feel about a hole in the middle of the floor?”  
Robbie looks at him oddly.   
“Why?”  
“I have an idea. Like planting in the soil beneath the factory floor. If that would be okay?”   
“I should check with the building.”  
“Check with the building?”  
Sportacus tilts his head with confusion crossing his face.

\--------------------------------------------

Robbie is not sure how to respond. How do you explain talking with a building someone else without seeming completely crazy? Robbie sighs and places a hand onto Sportacus’ shoulder. He pushes his magic into his fingers and focuses on his connection to the building. Sportacus had a bit of a connection to the building already. This was because the elf had used magic both in and on the building. Robbie hooked that connection to the emotions of the building and then removes himself from the link. Sportacus blinks and sits down, appearing to be overwhelmed.   
“It’s so… happy?”  
“Yep.”  
“I know the items that you have hidden here? How?”  
Sportacus seems to be adjusting with confusion clearly painted on his face.   
“I take it elves don’t talk to trees or buildings.”  
Sportacus slowly shakes his head, eyes wide as he stares around. Its almost as if the elf is seeing the building for the first time. Robbie leaves him to it, going to the nearby bathroom to wash the grease from his face. When he comes back he sees the elf doing handstands and walking around. The building is humming and Robbie can feel its sheer excitement curling through the air. It seems to be very pleased to be able to communicate with its other common occupant. Robbie gives a soft laugh and moves over to the couch where he had placed a tv. He sets up a movie and then calls out to the elf.  
“I’m going to watch a movie. You wanna join?”  
Sportacus bounces on his feet.  
“I have a hard time sitting still and watching movies. So I typically avoid doing it in my free time.”  
Robbie watches as the elf frowns and straightens to stand.   
“How do you survive? No sugar and you cant enjoy movies?”  
“I mean its not so bad. Fruits are sweet and I have acrobatics to entertain me.”  
Robbie still looks at his acquaintance with a soft frown despite the reassurances.  
“Do you want to watch the movie? We can try to figure something out if you do. I can understand if you don’t.”  
“I would like to spend time doing the things you enjoy with you. That's what friends do. Or I guess in our case, close acquaintances."  
Robbie feels bad for the elf. He had noticed how often the other seemed to be in motion but never had considered how it might impact the other’s ability to enjoy entertainment.   
“Does yoga work for you? I notice that you do pushups while reading? Would that kinda stuff be okay?”  
Sportacus shuffles his feet.  
“Won’t that be distracting?”   
“The movies that I have here are all ones I’ve seen hundreds of times. I know their plots like the back of my hand. Plus I have some really good speakers despite the smallness of the TV.”  
“Alright. If it’s okay for me to move around, then a movie sounds good."  
"Cool. High School Musical time."  
Sportacus blinks as Robbie presses play and sits on the couch. Robbie watches as the elf settles into some sort of stretch. The rest of the night passes peacefully with Sportacus moving around and Robbie singing along to the musical.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed. Please let me know if you have any questions!


	11. Chapter 11

Sportacus bounces out of the tree passing the small kitten to the older woman who is patiently waiting. He gives her a quick wave and jumps onto his bike to continue his journey. He parks his bike in a parking spot near the curb. He walks into a small shop. He knew that it was an oddities shop that sold magic items in the back if you asked the right way. The elf bounces into the store with a bright grin. A warlock stands behind the counter of the nick knack shop’s, idly scrolling through his phone.   
“Hello. I was wondering if you have anything for encouraging the growth of a plant?”   
The warlock blinks tiredly and gestures to the curtain.  
“Charms are through there.”  
“Thanks.”  
The elf gives a bright smile, bouncing away to duck behind the curtain. He looks through the different items cluttering the shelves, careful not to knock anything down. The elf looks at the different labels to try to find what he is here for. He finds a small stone with a carving on it, with a tag on the back that declares that it is for gardening and is five dollars. He also picks up a few warding stones that give the gentle mind suggestion to move on and to stay out. This can easily be overcome with determination but would keep most nonmagical people away. Each of these stones had been filled with magic during a ritual and the magic could be released upon the command of the user. He trots to the front of the store with a bright smile. Buying his items, he bounces out of the store, hopping onto his bike to drive to the factory. He checks that the sapling that is carefully attached to his bike is still doing ok. It’s currently fine.  
He smiles and takes off, careful not to drive too fast and harm the plant. He soon arrives at the factory, placing one of the warding stones just inside the entrance and activating it. The elf in blue passes through into the main room and finds it empty. He reaches out to feel the building which sleepily greets him. He mentally pulls up a picture of Robbie and gets a feeling of absence in response. Nodding the elf moves towards the center of the floor. He sends more images and pictures to factory, trying to explain his idea and get permission. The building responds by dropping the rope ladder. The elf grabs it, careful not to drop the sapling or stones. He climbs up until the factory seems satisfied. A rumble cuts through the air as the floor begins to buck and twist. Sportacus watches with wide eyes as the ground he had just been standing on begins to crumble into itself. He can feel the factory tugging on the magic Robbie and he had tucked into the walls and beams.  
Sportacus does not want any of the runes to fail so he opens his magic to the factory for it to use. It pulls and pulls and Sportacus can feel himself being drained to rip apart the cement and drag upwards the surrounding dirt. Finally, it ends, leaving Sportacus sagging on the waving ladder. He comes down and nearly collapses on the floor. Staggering to his feet, Sportacus moves the newly made patch of dirt that rests in the center of the room. His hands dig into the dirt creating a small hole into which he carefully plants the sapling. He then activates the growth stone and is pushed back by the expanding trunk of the tree. The elf sighs happily at the sight of the fully grown apple tree. His eyes gently close as his body starts the process of rejuvenating his lost magic.   
_----

Robbie feels an itch between his wings and has a feeling of unrest. He rises from where he had been digging out a shiny piece of metal from a trash bin. Something is not quite right. Before he can think through his actions, the fae is on his motorcycle and driving through the city. He follows his gut feeling, swerving through the buildings. He soon arrives at the factory. Robbie rushes in, worry beginning to swirl in his gut. The factory is humming anxiously. Entering the main room, the Dragon is surprised to see a fully grown tree with Sportacus lying beneath it. The elf is lying deathly still and Robbie feels his heart drop. His feet fly across the floor and he is soon nealing beside the Falcon. He places a hand on the other checking for a pulse and for breathing. Both are weak. Then it hits him. The air is full of the smell of apples and bread, so thick that it almost makes him choke. It seems to still be building in intensity. Robbie reaches out with own magic to get a sense of what is occurring. The factory has some sort of hold on the elf’s magic and is feeding it through itself. Some of it is going into growing the tree, while other portions are being used to fix different areas of disrepair. Robbie gently severs the link, which elicits a stuttering gasp from the elf. The fae carefully checks over the other and finds that Sportacus’ magic is dangerously strained. It was unnatural for an elf to be so closely integrated with a building or a plant. The main drain had come from this disconnect between what the magic was doing and what the magic was good a doing.   
Robbie knows he needs to feed the other magic, at least until the other is conscious enough to eat. This is going to require a lot of energy, which meant his wings need to be out. Coming to a decision, the fae lifts his acquaintance to the couch, sets up a movie, and shouts for the factory to move into lockdown mode. All the windows darken and cannot be seen through. Every entrance becomes locked. Robbie removes his jacket, dropping it over Sportacus like a blanket. He then twirls in a cloud of purple that changes his turtleneck to one that has two large slits in the back for his wings. He sits down beside the elf starting the movie and the magic transfer. His wings rest against the cushions of the couch as the smell of sugar and blueberries begins to mix with the smell of bread and apples. Robbie hums along with the movie’s soundtrack as he works to fix a part for his motorcycle. He still feels worried about his abnormally still companion, but the slow loss of magic to the other gives him some reassurance. He's not sure how effective it will be since they are two different species of magic users, but hopefully, it will be enough. He had never been too good with healing.   
\----------------

Sportacus wakes up feeling warm and groggy. He discovers that there are two layers of blanket on him as he starts to shift. His eyes hazily look around. No. These are not blankets. Both are too leathery. Then one of the blankets moves.  
“Sportacus?”  
“Hmm?”  
“Here. Eat.”  
The elf feels something circular thrust into his hands. He blearily takes a bite and then feels all of his energy come back to him in a rush. He sits up violently, causing Robbie to flinch and fall off the other end of the couch in a jumble of limbs and wings. Wings?  
“Robbie! Are you okay?”  
“Am I okay?? Sportadumb, you were out for three hours! I should ask you that!”  
Sportacus leans over the arm of the couch to stare down at the fae who seems to have given up on getting up. His wings are spread flat beneath him, giving the elf a good look at them. They are mostly dark purple with some orange and red arranged in a pattern that would not look out of place on a butterfly. Accept the wings were structured like a dragon’s, with leathery skin draping between bone structures. Robbie raises an unimpressed eyebrow.  
“So. How are you?”  
“I feel great! What happened Robbie? One minute the factory’s made a hole and I plant a tree and the next I’m on a couch.”  
“Magical exhaustion Sportadingus. Do they not warn you about these things as a tiny elf?”  
“Normally fathers would teach life skills like that…”  
Robbie’s face shifts from disbelief to understanding. His wings move beneath him in a half flap.  
“Your wings are really cool. Like a dragon’s.”  
Sportacus wants to move away from that topic and preferably never address it again. Robbie sits up and stretches one of the wings towards Sportacus.   
“You can touch it if you like. I had to have them out to use enough magic to keep you stable.”  
“Thank you for that. Are you sure I can touch it? I don’t want to mess up your magic.”  
“Hey, it’s cool. And yeah. They’re pretty durable. You’d need claws or determination to break bone to do much. Just treat it like you are messing with someone’s hand.”  
Sportacus nods and gently touches the leathery surface. He smiles at the trust that Robbie has put in him. He slowly takes his hand back and gently removes his crystal. He holds it out to the confused looking fae.   
“It’s only fair that since you showed me your magic origins I show you mine. This is my crystal. It lets me know if anyone in my clan is in danger and helps generate and focus my magic.”  
Robbie gently takes it and Sportacus goes back to gently touch the wing, still fascinated by the strange limb.  
“Hey. Sportacus?”  
The elf blinks at the use of his real name.  
“Yeah?”  
“Please don’t ever do that again? I was so scared when I saw you laying on the floor. I thought… I thought you were dead.”  
A few tears fall from Robbie’s eyes, splashing against the crystal and the floor. The elf feels terrible. He gets off of the couch and wraps his arms around Robbie in a tight hug. The fae freezes for a second before returning it with his arms and wings.   
“I promise Robbie. I’m so sorry.”  
Magic swirls around the two, finalizing a bond that had been growing since the first deal. Robbie sags, exhausted from giving his magic to the elf and from this final burst. Sportacus carefully puts the other on the couch. He still feels some tiredness so he sits on the other half of the couch. Both fall asleep soon after with the noise of the tv filling the background.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo! Im back with more! Hopefully none of this is too weird... Thanks for reading!


	12. Chapter 12

Robbie carefully slides his brush across the surface of the faux crystal. He very carefully paints on the rune, blowing on the paint to encourage it to dry faster. The faux crystal is mostly flat with a hole through the top which a string could be passed, making it hangable. His cousin rests on a stool beside him, chatting with other Court members that are in the bar. Everyone freezes as they feel trespassers enter their territory. Robbie tucks away the dried crystals he had completed into a bag and carefully moves to stand beside his leader. Glanni stares at the door as the rest of the gang rises to stand behind him. The invading presences are coming closer.   
The door bursts open and there stands The Brass Falcons. Sportacus is standing right behind the other gang's leader and gives Robbie the slightest nod of acknowledgment. The far returns it and stands at the ready.   
"Can I help you?"  
Glanni casually asks, glancing at his nails before buffing them on his jacket. This makes the elven leader growl.  
"You know full well why I'm here Glanni. People from my side of town are off-limits for Deals. We have gone over this."  
"I haven't a clue to what you may be referring to."  
The elf snarls, his teeth sharpening and nails slowly turning into talons.  
"Glanni. You made a Deal with Joshua Sumners, placing him into debt to your gang."  
"Oh that. He borrowed money that a bank would never have lent. That means interest is high. We helped him out. He was able to start up his business. I fail to see the issue."  
Glanni gives a smile and casually crosses his arms.  
"The issue, Glanni, is that you've been sending members to collect the debt. In our territory. I can't control what you do on your side of the city. But this is unacceptable."  
"Who I conduct Deals with really doesn't fall under your control, pointy ears. Leave my tavern."  
"Only if you swear to stop coming into our territory."  
Glanni oh so slowly taps his chin, and Robbie recognizes the signal to be ready to fight. He bites back a sigh, having always been annoyed by these fights. The whole thing could be avoided if Glanni really wanted to, but spreading control and having more people owe him seemed to out way the dangers of a fight in the gang's favorite tavern. Robbie glances away from his cousin to Sportacus who is now also sporting talons and a blank face.   
"Uh. No. We are owed and we will collect."  
Glanni starts to turn to walk away, a trick Robbie knows that his cousin is using to enrage the elf.  
"Right. We tried words. Let's try fists."  
Robbie is unsure of who moves first, but the tavern is suddenly full of yells punches and bursts of magic. He tries to move and help, but he is tackled at his waste and forced to the ground. Before he can really think anything, he is dragged under a nearby table.  
"Hey, Robbie."  
Sportacus whispers with a smile.  
"What are you doing?"  
The far hisses back, looking out at the fight.  
"Saying hello to my best acquaintance."  
"In the middle of a fight?"  
"Do you want to fight?"  
Robbie shakes his head with a tired sigh running a hand through his hair. Deciding to have small talk till the fight passes Robbie speaks up.  
"So, how's math?"  
"Oh! Much easier now that you've been giving me help."  
Their conversation continues on like this for a while, with Robbie soon showing off one of the crystals he had made and Sportacus showing off his talons. Both parties were interested in what the other was showing. Sportacus comments on the complexity of the design. Robbie notes the wicked curve and darkening of the nails. As things settle down Sportacus exits from their shared hiding spot.

\-------

Sportacus sits straight up as his crystal goes off. He gasps in shock as the image of Robbie curled up and crying. The elf leaps out of bed and tries to figure out where Robbie is through his crystal. His mind glosses over the fact that his crystal is responding for someone who is not in his clan. Robbie seems to be in a room far into fae territory, not in the factory where Sportacus could safely reach him. The elf snatches up his phone, quickly calling Robbie’s contact. A few rings go by and then it picks up.   
“H-h-hello?”  
Sportacus flinches at the wavery voice. Robbie sounds scared.  
“Are you okay Robbie? This is Sportacus."  
"Sp-sp-port?"  
"Yep. It's me. What's wrong?"  
"N-nothing. Just me being d-dumb."  
Sportacus listens as the other takes shakey, quick little breaths.   
"Robbie listen. Whatever is going on can be handled. I need you to breathe with me and calm down a bit. Okay? Breathe in for nine seconds:1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9. Now hold it for nine: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9. Now breathe out: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9. Let's do that all again. Ready. Here we go.”  
Sportacus repeats the breathing exercise until Robbie is taking full, deep breaths. The elf can just barely hear yells in the background on Robbie’s end.  
“Ok. Robbie? Can you tell me what’s going on? Are you hurt?”  
“No…”  
The fae’s voice is stronger than it had been and Sportacus is happy for this. But he is still worried.  
“What happened? Please?”  
The please seems to do it. Robbie gives a soft little sob, but his breathes stay steady.  
“My cousin is very mad at one of the lower members of the court. The yelling is really loud and is filling the whole house. It reminds me of… of… Vadin.”  
The last word is whispered with an almost reverent fear. Sportacus knew whoever this Vadin is had done something to truly frighten the fae.  
“But you’re not in danger right?”  
“No… But, I feel… Oh, this is hopeless…”  
Sobs pour across the phone line making Sportacus feel horrible.   
“Hey. Robbie. Focus on me, okay? Do you feel brave enough to grab some headphones?”  
“I-i have some on the fl-floor near me??”  
Robbie sounds confused and Sportacus continues to speak gently.  
“Thats great! Can you grab them?”  
The elf hears a bit of shuffling and then a click.  
“I-i got it.”  
“Great job! So, I’m going to talk to you, okay? Just focus on me, Robbie.”  
Sportacus moves to sit at his desk. He plugs his own headphones into his phone. His mind swirls trying to think of how to distract his acquaintance. He lands upon the idea of talking about the bits of the movie he could remember from several nights back when they had figured out how to watch together.   
“So remember about a week or so back when we watched that musical?”  
He gets a small response but takes it happily.  
“I haven’t been able to get the songs out of my head. Its been a loop. A really fun loop though. I really like the one that they sing while practicing basketball.”  
“O-of course y-you’d like the sport-t rel-a-ated song.”  
Robbie’xs voice trembles, but has hints of amusement.   
“Yep. That’s me! Always loving to be active. How did that song start? I’m going to look it up. Wanna listen to it with me?”  
“Yeah.”   
“Okay. I’m not sure how well the music will carry over the phones but let’s try this. “  
Sportacus pulls out his computer and quickly boots it up. He keeps talking, almost mindlessly about different parts of the movie. When he finds the song he announces he’s about to play it and then lets the music quietly play in his room, placing the phone near the computer’s speaker. He hears Robbie mumbling along and decides to sing softly. The song is not one that would encourage softness in the voice, but Sportacus finds a way to bend his voice to it. Robbie falls into silence. The song ends. Robbie’s breaths are steady now.  
“Can you sing something else?”  
Sportacus pauses, thinking for a second.  
“Oh, that was weird to ask. I’m sorry.”  
The elf hears the fear creeping back into his acquaintance’s voice. Sportacus wants to banish all of the negative emotions coming from the other.   
“Hey no. None of that. Just give me a second to think of a song.”   
Sportacus comes up with another song and sings. He keeps finding new songs to sing and the night gets later and later. Robbie starts to softly snore around 2 in the morning. Sportacus moves back to his bed but does not hang up or take off his headphones just in case. Who was Vadin?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof. Scared Robbie is kinda fun to write. Is that bad?


	13. Chapter 13

Robbie arrives at school feeling groggy from the late night before. He cracks his back as he rises from his motorcycle. Hearing the rumble of another engine, the tall fae turns to watch Sportacus pull into the school's parking lot. The elf Yanks off his helmet and tackles Robbie. The taller stumbles backward at the sudden new weight.  
"Bird-?"  
"I was so worried last night. Are you ok?"  
"Yeah. I am."  
Robbie flushes and pushes the smaller off of him. Grandiose displays of affection unnerved him. The Falcon lets himself be pushed away, smiling brightly.  
"Your pretty good at singing."  
"Oh! Thanks. I always have to be careful with singing though. Siren genes and all that." Robbie blinks.   
"What?"  
Sportacus smiles and winks.  
"A secret for a secret. I'll tell you about sirens and you tell me about this Vadin person."  
Robbie freezes at the word. Oh no. Had he let that slip last night? He stares at his hands shakes his head and walks to the school. He hears the hurried steps of the elf behind him.  
“Robbie? Wait. I’m sorry!”  
He stays silent with his heart beating heavily against his ribs. Ignoring the elf is hard as the other tugs on the sleeve of his jacket and follows him into his class.  
“Robbie? I’m really sorry.”  
“Drop it Sportacus. I don’t want to think about, that, that, that monster!”  
Robbie spits angrily. Then he covers his face sagging down into his chair. He hears Sportacus sit upon his desk. The elf gently pulls his hands from his face.  
“Robbie.”  
The fae can feel the hot tears marking his face and feels embarresment and anger. Sportacus continues to pull on the fae’s hands and daws them to rest in his, close to his chest. The elf begins to whisper.  
“A long time ago, there was a proud elf. He could dance on the wind that twisted through the city. He had a lovely elven wife, who could make his heart soar like no other. Every full moon they spun together in the embrace of the winds. The male was the leader of his clan, strong as a mountain, but soft as a cloud to all who knew him. His wife helped him to lead fairly, her kindness shining like a star to all those who came near. They had a son, who was brave in spirit. Two years later in life, they had a second son. Soon after this second birth, they were aiding a man. Little did they know that this was no mortal. This man came from a fiery, scorched land, unseen by anyone who could return sane and still mortal. A demon. He snatched away their magic and souls, collecting them for himself. The first son still too young to take over, but having some knowledge gifted to him by his father, sought and gained more knowledge from the elders surrounding him. He grew to lead the clan. The second son, being five, remembers little of the parents."  
Robbie has lost focus on his own problems, silently listening to the story. He watches as Sportacus begins to frown and hunch over. The fae knows this is more than just a tale.  
"My parents have been gone for a long time. Its painful to hear any reference to them, despite my memories being so vague. I understand I crossed a line that is similar to talking about my parents. I'm very sorry. I won't ask for an answer."  
Robbie simply nods, unsure of himself. He lets the revelation pass through his mind. He looks up at his acquaintance. A breath passes from him as his magic gently moves from his hands into Sportacus’. The elf blinks rapidly and looks Robbie in the eye. The fae sucks in air, grasping onto courage.  
“Sportacus. I trust you. With home and wing, Ovgein. It’s not fear of betrayal of that trust that leaves me silent, but fear of her.”  
“Ovgein?”  
“Loosely in my Court’s tongue, in means trusted one. And I do trust you Birdy.”  
Robbie feels magic from the elf shift into his palms.  
“I understand. Traustanemos is a similar word in my clan. It means trusted wind, one which will not chill or yank but catch and comfort. You have seen me at my weakest and acted to aid not harm.”  
Both stay silent after this until the bell rings causing Sportacus to leave with a small wave, which Robbie returns.

—————-

Sportacus watches with interest as Robbie pulls different faux crystals from his bag, each with paint on both sides. The elf is still mulling over their talk that morning. It felt nice to be referred to as Ovgein by the taller. The word held magical power, as most words from magical species do. Briefly, Sportacus wonders if there is a rune in the fae language for it. He decides to find out and raises his hand. Robbie looks at him and gestures for him to speak.  
“Is there a fae rune for Ovgein that you can show me?”  
Robbie sucks in air, seeming to hold a small debate. He then seems to give in.  
“Since you revealed that you have siren blood, I guess it’s only fair that I tell you that I have dragon blood. The upper ranks of the Court speak in dragon tongue on the occasion and use their rune writings. That word looks like this.”  
The fae pulls out a small, smooth, pebble and a sharpie. Carefully he scratches down marks, blows on it and then after a few seconds applies a clear coat of nail polish. He hands the stone to Sportacus who is still trying to process the information.  
“Wait. Wait! Is that why you are the Tainted Dragons? And why your wings are leathery and not like the pictures of fae I’ve seen in books?”  
Robbie snorts.  
“You’d think with all the clues, you would have figured it out on your own. So, wizard runes, I promised to find some that might work, and here they are.”  
Sportacus know the other is trying to change the subject in a very unsubtle way.  
“Wait, Robbie. Give me a second to catch up. Dragons can mate with other magical creatures? Does this mean you like gold? I have so many questions.”  
Robbie rolls his eyes with a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.  
“I could ask similar questions. Do you like singing people to their death? Do you live on an island, cursed to remain there by Greek gods?”  
The elf pouts and shifts into a handstand on the top of the wall.  
“No. But if I’m not careful, I can charm people with singing and then make them do things. Sometimes if someone from the clan loses control over their magic, they will start sprouting small feathers.”  
Sportacus grins at the shocked face that accompanies his announcement.  
“Do sirens have their own writing runes?”  
Sportacus raises an eyebrow with a bright smile, waiting for his own questions to be answered first.  
“Fine. I do have a tendency to collect shiny things, but if I had more dragon blood making up my genetics, I would probably be really possessive over objects. As it is, I claim spaces, like territory a little more aggressively than a typical fae.”  
Sportacus nods, a puzzled expression falling over his face.  
“Sirens don’t have a written language. We barely have a verbal one. Mostly tunes and songs of feeling are how things are expressed. In my clan, we have mashed our elvish with any siren and it sounds like a weird sub-dialect to either species if they hear us. Why did you let me stay at the factory at first?”  
“It wasn’t my territory then. And now it’s ours. I’d be pretty peeved if someone else were to break in. So. Wizard runes?”  
Sportacus nods, slipping into a middle split to stretch his legs. Robbie rolls his eyes at the display and then starts explaining the different symbols. They test a few during lunch and Robbie notes the ones that the elf can use easily and which ones are a struggle. He lets Sportacus keep all the easily used ones, claiming that he had no need for them.   
\----------------------------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Backstory for Sportacus! whoop whoop!


	14. Chapter 14

Robbie rests his head against his cousin’s shoulder. He lets out a sigh as the other fae looks at him.  
“Is something wrong little Ro?”  
The younger fae closes his eyes and yawns.  
“Not really. My wings have felt a little heavier in the last few days, but that might be just a result of me being tired.”  
“Get some sleep.”  
Robbie pokes his tongue out.   
“Tried that. Started dreaming of her. Decided to not sleep.”  
“Oh, little Ro.”  
The older fae stretches his wings and loops one around Robbie. The younger lets the warmth soothe his aching mind. He unfolds his own wings and lets out a soft whine.   
“Why doesn’t she ever go away?”  
“I don’t know.”  
Robbie can smell brown sugar as Glanni runs magic through his hands as the older smooths his hair.   
“Sleep prince. Let your king stand guard.”   
The younger fae snorts at the use of titles. He then yawns, slumping all of his weight onto his cousin. Glanni makes a fake noise of protest at the added weight but tightens his wing around his cousin. Robbie hums and settles to fall asleep.  
\------------------------------ 

Sportacus fidgets as his brother looks over his elvish writing. They did lessons like this every so often to prepare Sportacus for adult life as an elf. Íþrót makes a few corrective marks and hands it back. Elvish runes mostly consist of swirls and a few straight lines. Little of it made sense to Sportacus. A curl one way could mean the difference between a blessing and filling a room with a freezing wind.   
“Almost. Try one more time and then we can break for the day.”  
Sportacus has a small internal debate. Sure he hates having to sit still and learn, but he also wanted to learn these runes to use them himself and to share them with Robbie.  
“Can we stay until I get some more right? I really really want to learn this.”  
“You’ve never shown this much enthusiasm. Whats changed?”  
Sportacus drums his fingers on the desk and flashing a large grin.  
“I want to be better at magic. It might come in handy if someone needs help!”  
Íþrót gives him a bemused look.  
“You know you can't be seen using obvious displays of magic, right?”  
“I know. But it could be useful!”   
He bounces in his chair. His brother shakes his head with a smile and hands him another sheet of blank paper. Sportacus picks up his pen and lets a serious face of concentration fall over his face. He wraps his lines together, making sure to keep his hands steady.  
After a few more hours working on the runes, Sportacus agrees to the offered break. He asks after any books on runes that the older might know the clan had. He is handed a slim codex with preservation runes decorating the outside. Sportacus thanks his brother and carefully looks through the elvish runes with a smile. 

\--------------------------

Robbie finishes carving a druidic rune into the side of the office room. It was located right beside the main room in the factory. There were a few of these offices around the main room. Robbie had spent the last few days after school outfitting two of them with pillows and blankets, effectively creating soft nests out of the rooms. He had been coming to the factory often enough, because of loud parties in the apartment building near his home. He understood their usefulness to keep up morale or bring in some new Deals. But having them most weekends and some weeknights really messed up his ability to sleep at home.   
Twisting his magic, he lets it run through the multiple runes through the room. The floor softens and the air takes the perfect temperature for whoever enters. This is the second and last room that he has been working on. Hearing the sound of a second engine, Robbie leaves the small room and enters the main area of the factory. Sportacus energetically walks into the room.  
“Birdy! I have some good news, come over here!”   
The elf breaks into a sprint and flips over the railing to land beside Robbie.  
“Yeah, Traustanemos?”  
Robbie coughs embarrassedly at the nickname but makes no comment.   
“I made up two “bedrooms” if you ever need to use one. This one’s mine and this is yours.”  
Robbie pats the door with a streak of purple paint and then a door with some blue. He opens the second door to show off the room. Sportacus looks in, taking a few careful steps, before grinning brightly.   
“Is this for me? This whole room?”  
“Yes. I figured that since I need a room sometimes, you might want one.”  
Robbie shuffles his feet and looks away as the elf proceeds to leap around the room, touching all of the pillows, rolling in the blankets, and gently tumbling on the mattress. Sportacus dances around the room a little longer and then jumps to Robbie, grabbing the taller in a hug.   
“This is so nice.”  
“Its no big deal.”  
“It is. You put in a lot of effort. Wait here.”  
Sportacus then runs back across the factory’s main room, snatching up a bag and then sprints back. He pulls out a notebook and hands it over with a look of pride.  
“This is a collection of elvish runes that I’ve been able to learn. There also are a few witches spells that I picked up and cant use myself.”  
Robbie grasps the book, feeling delight welling up in his chest. He flips slowly through, slumping against the wall.   
“This is...This is amazing! I can’t believe you’re letting me see these.”  
“Well, I promised so…”  
Robbie’s eyes widen as he remembers something. Opening his own room’s door, he grabs his book bag. He yanks out some official documents. With a confident smirk, he hands them to Sportacus.   
"Is this the deed to the factory?"  
"Yep. I bought the place using some of my money from patens, so now no one can try and kick us out. Happy super early Christmas."  
Sportacus blinks up at Robbie who is ready for the hug when it happens this time.  
"This is the best!"


	15. Chapter 15

With winter break only a week away, everyone in the high school is antsy. Sportacus is even more so with the winter solstice coming up. The season seems to have an opposite effect on Robbie, who seems to grow ever more tired. The two busily study for their exams, which are finishing up right before the break. Sportacus spent a lot of his time studying in the factory with Robbie, who attempts to get the elf fully prepared for the tests. The two agree to meet up at some point during the break.

\--------------------------

Sportacus happily hangs a crystal from the apple tree in the middle of the factory, admiring the way the sunlight coming in through the skylight is making it look. Robbie hangs another crystal on a slightly higher branch. There are dozens of crystals on the tree, each marked with different variations of protection runes. Some are elvish, druidic, fae or wizard. Some of them are not for protection, acting to broaden what could be called for within the factory.  
“This is the perfect Christmas tree.”  
Robbie nods in agreement and the building itself hums happily. Sportacus can feel the fae slowly feeding magic into the crystals. Robbie then slumps tiredly against the trunk. Sportacus starts feeding his own magic while carefully pulling the fae off the ladder. He deposited the other on the couch and moves the kitchen area to grab a snack for the two of them. Strawberries, with some sugar for Robbie. The fae gives him a small smile and settles on half the couch, leaving enough room for Sportacus. The taller seems to be thinking something over and speaks up.   
“Do you know how a fae Court is structured?”  
Sportacus shakes his head, interest crossing his face.  
“Do you want to?”  
Sportacus nods enthusiastically. In the time they had spent together, the elf has found that he had an easier time sitting still and just listening when Robbie is explaining something. The siren blooded humanoid chalks it up to Robbie being interesting and engaging whenever he speaks and thinks no further on it. He leans back into the couch enjoying his snack, listening intently.   
“So in a Court, it is a lot like old aristocracies. We have kings, princes, dukes, the whole lot in each individual Court. No one really uses the titles anymore, but the power is still distributed along those lines. In my Court, the Tainted Dragons, my cousin is the king as he was first in line after his father and grandfather. My father was his father's brother, making both him and I princes. Back in the day, my father thought he might get power because my uncle initially seemed disinterested. On this assumption, my… mother or as she demanded to be called in the most formal way of dragon tongue Vadin, married him. But then my uncle got serious, married a princess of another court and began training himself to be a great ruler. He was a fantastic leader after grandfather stepped down to enjoy retirement. But it made my father and Vadin, especially Vadin, irritated. They had hoped for abdication, but were instead in a second position, unlikely to gain control because my uncle had had Glanni at that point, securing the bloodline.”  
Sportacus sees Robbie flinch at every mention of his mother that passes from his mouth. The elf stays silent but sends a soft wave of magic, which causes a small smile from the taller.  
“When I was seven, my father was spending time training me. In the middle of the lesson, he expressed his disappointment with his lot in life, bemoaning my birth and his marriage which he claimed left him tied up and unable to seek out better opportunities since the throne was lost to him. He then wished for a better life and promptly vanished. There had been a genie wandering nearby who had a bit of a beef against Vadin. From that point onwards she blamed me for his disappearance, screaming at me, hitting me, and weeks of silence. And I accepted responsibility for so long. On my sixteenth birthday, Glanni came to celebrate and surprise me. He caught her in the middle of a screaming session. He removed me from her with the authority of the son of the king. I lived with him from then on, with her being banned from our territory for assault on the family line. Not too long after, my uncle caught a vicious sickness and died. He had treated me like a second son all the time after my father had vanished, and I was distressed to have a second father be gone from my life at the age of seventeen. Glanni’s been the king ever since, with me second to the throne till he has kids.”  
“Oh, Robbie… I’m really sorry. I know it’s tough without parents, but I can only imagine having one that acted as she did.”  
“It’s okay. He’s gone, she’s gone. I got Glanni. He’s pretty good to me. And I also have the rest of the gang for help whenever I need them."  
Sportacus nods and rises, starting to do some stretches.   
"Well, I'm glad you're around."  
Robbie gives him a small grin and then sprawls out over the entirety of the couch.   
"Thanks. I guess your not to bad yourself. I'm gonna watch a movie wanna join?"  
"Is it a musical?"  
"Yep."  
"Awesome."


	16. Chapter 16

A few days before Christmas, Robbie finishes placing a wrapped gift beneath the apple tree. The oven that he has installed near the tv and couch dings. He pulls out his cake with a happy little smile to himself. Robbie had been testing different recipes that mixed in fruit and took out sugar. His current concoction is a strawberry flavored cake. When it has cooled enough, Robbie slices it in half, putting one half in a cake stand with a note and carries the rest of it back to his small room. He had his laptop and charger in there and was planning on spending the night silently relaxing. It was the winter solstice with the additional bonus of a full moon. The thickness of magic in the air made any fae in the city tired. Glanni was taking the opportunity to overload on sugar and hide away in his room. All the fae were tucking themselves away, to sleep off the overabundance of magic that swirled into their veins as it entered from the air. The magic from the winter solstice was like warm blankets to the fae making them lethargic, and at risk for attack, so each would privately hide away till morning or later.   
Robbie has finished his cake and two movies while wrapped up in his mound of blankets and pillows and quickly slips into sleep. He lays unbothered for a long period of time when suddenly he wakes to the sound of something in the main room of the factory. Robbie groans, rolling over in his nest-like bed. He can hear something that almost sounds like singing. His tiredness is bone-deep and he grumbles. Trying to block out the noise, Robbie tugs a pillow over his ears. The song seems to crawl past the defenses and into his ears. It calls for him to come closer, a feeling of indistinct joy gently ebbing through the voice. Robbie wearily opens his door, dragging with him pillows and blankets. Tiredness keeps him from moving any further. He can see Sportacus leaping around above, his voice so strong that it breaks through the quieting rune. The fae quietly asks the factory to keep an extra eye out for invaders who might be lured in. Then Robbie relaxes against the door, watching his acquaintance sing and flip across the beams and ropes.   
The Dragon has slipped into a half-sleep state few the last few hours, comfortable and warm. Eventually, as the time slips into the early morning and the sky is still dark, the singing gets closer to Robbie. He feels something tap against his nose. Robbie sneezes at the thick magic that fills his nose.  
“Hmm?”  
“Bestignorim!! Minn Traustanemos! Mer fljpet eméname!!!”  
The words come out as a song that fills the air with a longing to fly, on cold breezes filled with nothing but crisp freshness. Robbie feels this feeling quickly overthrown by his tiredness.  
“Sportasong, I don’t know what you’re saying. I’m also super tired.”  
The elf seems to struggle, the talons on his hand tapping a quick beat against the floor.  
“Fly?”  
“Sorry birdy. My wings are just for show and magic. I never learned to fly.”  
Robbie punctuates this sentence with a soft yawn.  
“Oh. No-fly.”  
“Nope.”  
Another set of words comes out of Sportacus’ mouth, filling Robbie with a sense of loss and wanting.  
“I’m sorry Sportabird. I can’t really get up and do anything right now. Too much wintery magic in the air for my fae sensibilities.”  
The siren softly croons and does a backflip and then walks on his hands back to the Dragon. Robbie yawns and tugs on his blankets.   
“Sleep?”  
“Id like to, yeah.”  
“Sleep.”  
Sportacus begins to sing gently, a lulling song that drags Robbie under faster than he had ever experienced. He slumps fully against the door, noting absentmindedly that the elf feels just as safe as any other Court member.

\-----------

Sportacus breathes out a yawn as he blinks slowly awake. The smell of bark fills his nose as his mind begins to register that he is sleeping in a tree. The elf stretches and lowers himself from the branches of the apple tree. He quickly readjusts his descent as he notices a clan member softly snoring against the tree.   
'Wait. No. That's Robbie. Why did I think that?'  
Then the elf feels something holding his waste and preventing him from moving away from the tree. A tree that has tripled in size and is brushing against the beams with thick vines hanging from its branches along with the crystals. Sportacus nervously looks down at his waist where a vine is wrapped securely around him. He struggles to get it off of him, but it stays wound tight. It constricts slightly around his waste making the elf shift into panic mode.   
“ROBBIE!!”   
The other startles awake sitting up only to be pulled by another vine that is hooked around his waist.  
“Birdy? Wha?”  
“I don’t know! Vines?? I can’t get it off!”  
Robbie breaths deeply and leans against the trunk.  
“Sportafreak-out calm down. Breath.”  
The fae then starts using magic on the vine around his own waste. It loosens a little, giving him room to stand. The elf gulps down large breaths of air, calming down as he sees Robbie making some progress.  
“Help me up. I can probably loosen the vine around you.”  
“Okay.”  
Robbie holds out his right arm and Sportacus grabs his wrist. A sudden burning sensation in palms skin at the point of contact makes the elf jerk back and start to fall backward. The elf pulls off his leather fingerless glove to stare at his palm. A small rune stars swirling in blue lines. Part of it looks like the elvish rune for clan, a rune that Sportacus knows is located behind his left ear. But this has extra parts. Rather than simply being curled lines and two elongated hexagons, there is a pair of twisting flames, each reaching in a different direction. There is also a small diamond shape in the middle. The burn is still there making Sportacus wince. He shakes his hand through the air. He glances at Robbie who is has pulled back his sleeve to stare at his wrist.  
“R-robbie??”  
Sportacus feels fear, both at the strange actions of the plants and the burning magic in his palm. The fae looks at the elf and then runs a hand through his hair.  
"Let’s take a second to breathe and reason. No need to panic, right?"  
The taller's voice sounds strained and an expression of forced calm settles across his features. Sportacus takes a few deep breaths and sits down, facing Robbie.  
"Ok. Ok. So first the tree has sentient vines? Second, we both now have this weird rune thing?"  
Robbie nods and runs his hands across the vines. The fae closes his eyes and Sportacus can smell sugar and blueberries. He then feels the factory humming. Images of coworkers hanging out together in a worker’s lounge drinking coffee. The distinctly feeling of team and friendship. Oh. The factory is upset that they have been denying friendship with each other. Sportacus then focus on the magic around both of his clan marks, the new and the old. The old one is cold, as it always is. But the one sitting on his palm is warm, especially compared to the rest of his skin, but cooler than it had been a few seconds previously.   
“The factory appears to be dissatisfied with us…”  
Sportacus blinks at Robbie’s words.   
“But why can control the vines? And why does it care?”  
“I don’t know!”  
Robbie sounds frustrated. The elf twists his hands into his golden hair, letting out a high piercing anxious noise.   
“Do you think something happened last night to change things?”  
“Maybe?”  
Both sit in silence, with Robbie staring at his wrist while Sportacus scrunches himself into a ball, hands clutching at his hair. He tries to keep his stuttering anxiety-induced noises down, but his siren side refuses to let him sit silently. He can feel his talons forming against his head.   
“Rember when you blacked out from magical exertion? I didn’t think about it too much at the time, but I came because my magic told me something was wrong. On some level, after starting to make deals with you, I must have started thinking that you were a Court member. And then you helped me out when I had a breakdown. Last night, the only thing that changed that I can really think of is that I thought of you as a Court member. My magic, from what I can figure out, took that as a sign that if you agreed, we are in the same group. I’m really sorry.”  
The elf peers out at the fae who has fully slumped against the tree and is staring upwards blankly. Sportacus is suddenly hit by a thought.  
“Robbie… The night I called you, my crystal went off. Full-on screaming beeps. It only goes off that way for clan members. So my magic was treating you like clan. And I know I’ve accidentally thought of you as a clan member this morning and some times before. But it’s not like we started a new clan or something. I can still feel my tie to the rest of the Brass Falcons.”  
Robbie puffs air out, still blankly staring upwards. Sportacus moves to sit beside him, leaning against the tree. He buries his talons into the dirt. Robbie stays silent for a while and Sportacus quietly digs aimlessly in the dirt. Before too long the fae whispers.  
“Subclan? Sub-court? Do those even exist?”  
The fae leans forward and looks to the elf with a confused expression.  
“They do now.”  
Robbie lets out an exasperated laugh at Sportacus’s statement.   
“I guess you’re right birdy. Welcome to the Court.”  
Robbie holds out a hand with a half-grin. Sportacus grabs it with a smile.  
“Welcome to the clan. Friends?”  
“Sure. Why not. We’re well beyond the point of acquaintances”  
The vines sudden release, shrinking back up into the branches of the apple tree. Robbie shakes his head.  
“I don’t think my brother would be too happy if he found out about this…”  
“Ditto for my cousin. I guess we have to keep them covered.”  
Both silently sit there staring upwards at the beams. Sportacus slips his glove back on, slowly getting used to the constant warmth on his palm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was a bit late this week. Sorry! Hope you enjoy!


	17. Chapter 17

Robbie absently mindedly rubs the cold rune on his wrist as he waits for the rolls to finish baking. Sportacus is once again up in beams. They were both trying to recover from the morning’s events. Robbie was dealing with it by trying to make food while Sportacus has taken to fling himself through the air. A timer goes off, reminding Robbie to grab the rolls. He pulls them out and then decides to try something out. He reaches through the rune on his writs and gives a soft tug. Sportacus slides down a rope with a questioning look on his face.   
“I have some food. Sausage and rolls. Do you want any?”  
“Yes. Thanks. Did you just call me through this?”  
The elf taps his covered palm.   
“Yep. I know that my cousin can do it occasionally. Sorry if it was a bit intrusive.”  
“It’s good.”  
The two rest on the couch with the food, having not put a table into the factory yet. They quietly eat, each separately thinking about the future.   
“Oh.”  
The elf stands up and runs to his room. He then comes back with a wrapped box. The fae blinks.  
“I noticed the one by the tree. It reminded me. I know we won’t see each other on the holiday. Here.”  
Sportacus hands Robbie the gift and then grabs the one that the taller had left under the tree. Robbie clutches the box with a soft look of wonder.  
“Thanks… I hope you like what I got you.”  
The elf happily tears into the box while Robbie gently tugs the wrapping paper off. Sportacus lets out an excited noise.  
“You got me a notebook with all the wizard runes! Thank you!”  
“These gloves are so soft. And I really like this purple color in this scarf. Thanks.”  
Sportacus flips through the notebook while the fae tries on the new clothes.  
“Do they fit?”  
“Yep.”  
“Awesome.”  
The two spend the rest of the day in the factory, enjoying the gifts and getting used to the new bond.

\--------------------

Sportacus happily waits for his taller clan member at the front of the school. He had not seen Robbie since the day they had exchanged gifts. They had texted each other a couple of times during the break and found out they shared their final class of the day this semester. The elf half notices a gaggle of freshmen enter the school. Hearing the sound of another motorcycle, the elf shifts his gaze to Robbie who is pulling in. He feels the warmth on his palm heating up a little. Robbie nods his head in greeting.   
“Ready to head in Sportaflap?”  
“Yep. Let's get to it!”  
The pair walk into the building discussing the different things that they did with their gangs over the break. They are walking through the atrium when a freshman wearing all pink approaches them.  
"Excuse me? I'm new. Could you help me find room 235?"  
Sportacus can sense the magical energy around the girl. He gives her a reassuring grin, hooking an arm through hers and then Robbie’s.  
“Sure! Robbie’s class is right beside there, so we were heading that way anyway.”  
The elf bounces forwards, ignoring the surprise on the girl’s face and the irritated sigh from Robbie. He leads them to the stairs, chattering happily.  
“I’m Sportacus. This is Robbie. Did you just move to Busycity?”  
“Uh, yeah. I just moved in with my uncle. I’m Stephanie.”  
“Oh, nice! We have a really nice city, so I hope you enjoy it here.”  
“Thanks. I’m trying to get used to being surrounded by buildings. I grew up in a forest.”  
“Cool! I’ve never been in a forest. Have you Robbie?”  
The fae shakes his head while looking at the different room numbers. He points one out.  
“I think this is the room.”  
Sportacus gives his friend a poke in the ribs with his elbow for the tone. Robbie raises an eyebrow. Stephanie smiles with relief.  
“Thank you!.”  
“If you have any other troubles, feel free to ask us.”  
Sportacus releases the girl’s arm and then leads his tall friend away.  
“I wonder what kind of magic user she is.”  
The elf looks up at Robbie and gives a half shrug.  
“I dunno.”  
They hang out in Robbie’s first period until the bell rings and Sportacus bolts to his homeroom. 

\------------------

Robbie passes through the cafeteria to get to the door that opened to the area where he and Sportacus ate lunch. Absently he notes that the pink girl is sitting a table with a couple of other freshmen. Good. She had found somewhere to fit in. The fae keeps moving and gives Sportacus a half-grin as he exits the building.   
“Hey, Traustanemos!”  
The fae covers his face in embarrassment at the title.  
“Birdy, why do you insist on calling me that?”  
“Because it’s true. I had a question that I forgot to ask this morning.”  
“Yeah? Well, maybe I won’t answer.”  
“Aw, don’t be like that Robbie. The title is not supposed to be insulting.”  
“I’m not insulted! Just… a bit flustered I guess. The only title I’m normally called is Prince and that’s rare and not often serious.”  
“Do I need to stop?”  
Sportacus looks concerned, but Robbie shakes his head.  
“No. It’s fine. I’m still going to react every time though. So, what’s the question?”  
“Oh, yeah, it actually has to do with titles! Since I’m now in your sub-court-thing, do I have a title? I know you’re a prince and that your cousin is king.”  
Robbie blinks.  
“I didn’t even think about that. Here let me check.”  
The fae focuses on the Court bond between him and his companion. It feels equal in status.  
“You said your brother is the leader of your clan, right? That makes you next in line if something happens and he doesn’t have kids.”  
“Yes?”  
“I think that's why my magic is telling me that you are a prince of the sub-court. Or at least you have the same amount of power politically that I have.”  
“Interesting.”   
The elf flips to rest on his hands, staring up at the fae. Robbie rolls his eyes and sits on the wall. The two each lunch, and then head to the third class of the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo! I know this is a touch late but my household has been in a bit of a tissy. Everyone stay safe out there! Let me know if you have any questions!


	18. Chapter 18

Sportacus bounces into his third-period class, quickly sitting in an empty seat. The sound of a whoopie cushion fills the air as soon as he fully sits down. He lets out a startled laugh. Hearing a fearful gasp behind him, Sportacus reaches beneath himself. He pulls out the small rubber prank toy and turns in his seat. The elf catches the eye of a quickly paling freshman who is seated right behind him. 

“This yours?”

He gets a small nod. Passing the device to the girl, he gives her what he hopes is a reassuring smile. 

“That was pretty startling.”

The girl nods again, seemingly struck into fear. The elf rubs his arm and decides to try a different approach.

“I’m Sportacus! Nice to meet you.”

“You’re not mad?”

The girl blurts out, startling the elf once more into a chuckle.

“Over the cushion? No. Why should I be?”

“Oh. Er… I just figured… It wasn’t meant for you. I mean, I uh… I’m Trixie.”

“Nice to meet you! Say, you live on the north side of town, don’t you? I think I’ve helped your neighbor once or twice.”

“Uh, yeah. I do I think I’ve seen you around.”

“Well, it’s nice to officially meet.”

Their conversation is cut short when the teacher starts speaking at the front of the classroom. 

\--------------------------------------------

Robbie pulls his bag out of the seat he had been saving, making room for his companion. 

“You ready to learn history?”

The fae adds a little bit of jazz hands to his last word, giving Sportacus a grin. The elf smiles and sinks into the chair. The teacher catches sight of the two of them and walks over.

“I hope there won’t be any issues between the two of you.”

Robbie is a little surprised at the harshness of her words but keeps a straight face. Sportacus, never one to hide his feelings, looks mildly offended.

“No, ma’am. No issues here.”

Robbie responds cooly, casually leaning back in his seat. The teacher looks between the two of them distrustfully.

“I have my eye on you two. No gang fights will be tolerated.

“Yes, ma’am.”

Sportacus speaks up, nervously bouncing his knee. She levels a piercing gaze at the two of them and then moves to the front of the room. Robbie shares a look of bewilderment with the elf as both pull out notebooks for the class. The rest of the period passes without incident, if the frequent suspicious glares sent their way do not count. Robbie nonchalantly strolls out of the building with Sportacus bouncing at his side. The two talk about class.

“Got any time Friday to hang out? I found some more weather-related wizard spells.”

Robbie asks. 

“Sure! I’d love to learn some more. I’ve pretty much mastered the ones for wind and mist.”

“Cool. We can focus on verbal spells rather than just the written ones.”

Robbie gets into his bike and freezes as he glimpses a woman standing on the very edge of the parking lot. Vadin? His throat closes up as fear builds. He blinks and she is gone. Was she ever there? His wrist marking pulses coldly and he can feel a hand on his left arm. The far returns to himself and looks at the elf.

"-bbie? Hey, are you good? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Uh, yeah. I thought I saw her. I thought that she was here. But she wasn't.”

“Oh… Her. Do you want me to stay with you?” 

“I… I…”

The fae breaths deeply, steadying himself in the presence of his friend. He squeezes his eyes shut. He hears rummaging and the crinkling of a wrapper. Something is folded into his hand. Absently, his brain registers that it is a lollipop.

“Robbie. It’s okay.”

Nodding, Robbie slowly opens his eyes while putting the sweet in his mouth. The sugar grounds him along with the soft magic coming from the elf

“Right. Okay. I think I’m good. Thanks.”

“Sure thing.”

_____--------

Sportacus happily chitters to his friend as they walk down the hall. They had been looking for a place to eat lunch as it was raining and were only a few minutes into their lunch period. He freezes as he hears a commotion coming from the locker bay. The elf goes to see whats going on with Robbie following casually. 

A freshman stands with his back to the lockers, hunched over his stomach in what looks like pain. Two taller teens stand over him and the one wearing a blue hoodie looks prepared to strike. Sportacus moves quickly, seeing that someone needed help. He gets between the teens and the freshman, taking a hit to the jaw because there had been no time for them to register who was in front of them. His head is snapped to the side and he quickly faces forwards, taking up a solid stance. His feet are spread and his shoulders are squared. The boy who had thrown the first punch is shaking his hand and has stepped back. The second boy, who the elf absently notes is wearing a black hoodie, rushes forward and tries to punch the elf in the gut. Sportacus blocks the hit and wraps his arm around the boy’s, forcing it to twist behind his back. This effectively pins the black-clothed teen but leaves Sportacus open for attack. He notes the first teen approaching quickly, only for him to be stopped by Robbie who has arrived. The taller teen grabs the blue hoodie aggressor and also twists his arms. Glancing at the victim, Sportacus notes that the freshman seems to be ok and is breathing normally.

“Are you okay?”

The freshman stared wide-eyed at the elf after his question.

“I...Yes.”

“Good. Now, as for you two, you really should know better.”

He gives a little jerk to the arm he is holding, producing a whine of pain. 

“Don’t go around picking on people. You’re in high school. Grow up.”

The only response he gets is a bit of mumbling and a couple of swears. Robbie then speaks up. 

“Excuse me? I don’t think I heard you. Maybe we should take this somewhere more private so that you can learn your lesson.”

The fae’s voice is filled with fake diplomacy and sarcastic cheer. The teens seem to realize the situation they are in as a sickly pallor comes to both of their faces. Sportacus decides to let Robbie take over the rest of the talking, seeing the effectiveness. 

“We won't do it again.”

“I'm sorry. Won't do what? I really don’t get the impression that you feel guilty.”

Robbie tightens his grip, giving the black hoodied teen, who can see his face, a pointed smile. 

“W-we won't beat up any-o-one. Please stop!”

“Do you promise? Let's shake on it.”

Both boys nod eagerly. Robbie slowly lets go and then shakes the hand of the boy he had been holding. Then Sportacus releases the other teen who also shakes Robbie’s hand. 

“Good. Now scoot.”

The two run off as Sportacus turns to the freshman. He can faintly smell blueberries and sugar and knows that Robbie has just made a Deal. For now, he decides not to address it and focuses on checking on the teen. 

“Are you sure you’re okay? Nothing broken?”

“I might have some bruises but they didn’t really have time to do anything. Thanks.”

“Sure thing. I’m Sportacus and that’s my friend Robbie. Let me know if they bother you again.”

“I’m Pixel. Uh, thanks again.”

The teen then moves away, quickly exiting to the cafeteria. Sportacus sighs and turns to Robbie.

“A Deal?”

“It was the only sure-fire way I had to make sure they don’t do anything else. I can’t stand people hurting others.”

“That’s fair.”

The two keep moving, eventually finding a place to eat their lunches in peace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!!


	19. Chapter 19

“Ventus!”  
Robbie ducks as a blast of air is sent in his direction. He smoothly straightens up and throws his hand out, holding a rune inscribed crystal.  
“Brenna!”  
Large tongues of fire move from his palm towards the elf. Sportacus flips away, pulling part of a bracelet into his own hand  
“Askjöldura!”  
A large version of the elvish rune for shield rises in front of his cross arms. The flames curl against the symbol, slowly pushing the smaller back. Robbie cuts off the attack and slumps against the wall.  
“You picked up the verbal use pretty fast Sportalearn.”  
“Thanks! You were right that using both verbal and the rune at the same time, it really does amp up the power!”  
The fae nods his head, yawning. He moves over to the couch and drapes himself over the piece of furniture.   
“I'm worn out. You can keep practicing, but I don’t think I have any more strength.”  
“Okay. Do you think I can use the air to fly?”  
“Maybe? I’ve never really tried something like that.”  
Robbie watches with some interest as he sees the elf clutch onto the wizard rune that is on the bracelet he had made for him.   
“Ventus!”  
Robbie feels a strong gust of wind move through the factory and surrounds his companion. Sportacus holds his arms outwards, eyes closed. The fae watches carefully to make sure the other does not collapse from magical exhaustion. Slowly the wind gets stronger, causing the smaller’s vest to flutter. Robbie looks on with some awe as the other is slowly, oh so slowly lifted inch by inch from the ground. He hovers for a second before the magic gives out. Robbie gives a small laugh as the other lands on his knees with an oof.   
“You good birdy?”  
Sportacus responds with a laugh of his own.  
“Yeah. Guess I can’t just brute force flight.”  
“Guess not. Probably need something to catch all that wind. So, movie?”  
“Sure.”  
Robbie starts up How to Train Your Dragon. A little bit into the movie, Sportacus turns to Robbie.  
“Do you think you could fly?”  
“Maybe? We could run some experiments later. I'm a bit too tired.”

\-----------------------------

Sportacus yawns while he sits at the table the next morning. His brother gives him a strange look.  
“You good Sportacus?”  
“Yep. Just a bit tired, that's all.”  
“I’ve never seen you this tired, did you get enough sleep last night? You were out pretty late.”  
“Yeah. I just did more exercise than normal.”  
“Okay. I’ve noticed we haven’t had any calls lately about you.”  
“Yep. Found a small place where people don’t worry over my actions.”  
The younger elf glances at the clock and then straightens up.   
“I’ve got to go brother. I promised to meet up with a classmate to study.”  
“Be safe out there Tíu!”  
“Okay, Níu! See you later.”  
The elf scampers out of the house, quickly making his way to the factory. Robbie is there, presumably having never left, sleeping on the floor next to a rope that is anchored in a wall. There is some sort of harness attached to it, made from a mixture of materials and straps.   
“Traustanemos?”  
Robbie makes a noise of protest but opens his eyes.   
“Hey, birdy… What time is it?”  
“Eh, 2:00ish.”  
“Way too early.”  
“Come on Robbie, you said we could try and get you to fly.”  
“Why do you want me to use my wings so bad?”  
The fae asks, yawning as he sits up. Sportacus frowns and shuffles his feet.   
“If I could even have the slightest chance to fly… I would take it. I wanted to be a pilot for the longest time before my brother said that it would be too dangerous. I guess I feel like if I can help someone else fly, it would help me feel better. If you really don’t want to do it, it’s fine.”  
The elf dejectedly stares at the wall. He hears a huff and feels the other grabbing his hand to stabilize himself while getting up.  
“Hey, I said yes last night. I’m not going back on that. Plus it would be great to one-up my cousin by flying.”   
` Sportacus gives him a grin.   
“So. I made this harness for myself. I think the first step would be to safely rise into the air and then try to figure out how to move.”  
“We should probably get some experts.”  
The fae stares blankly at Sportacus.  
“What?”  
Sportacus bounces away, calling for a ladder and climbs up into the beams. He opens a small window and whistles. He pauses for a minute and then whistles again. When he hears the sound of wings, he moves from the window and clambers back down the ladder. Robbie is staring at him when the first bird zooms into the room. The crow lands on the elf’s head with a caw and is soon followed by three more. The fae blinks as Sportacus whistles and caws to the birds. Then Sportacus addresses his friend.  
“They agreed to let us test my wind manipulation on them first and then help give you tips, in exchange for food.”  
“What can they eat?”  
“Anything really, but I’m going to give them pieces of apple.”  
The elf walks to the kitchen area, calling for the fruit as he goes. The crows retain their perches on his shoulders and his hair. He slices the apple and hands out the pieces. Cawing some more, the crows eat them and then flap into the air.   
"Ventus!"  
Sportacus focuses on manipulating the air around the crows, pushing them up and then down. He grows more confident in his ability to keep them steady in the air without them moving their wings. Robbie has been sitting next to him, carefully watching as the crows float in the air.   
“Ready Robbie?”  
The fae hesitantly nods, hands shaking slightly.  
“I won’t drop you, Robbie.”  
Robbie breathes deeply, taking off his jacket.  
“I trust you Ovgein. Let’s do this.”  
Sportacus smile brightly, while Robbie twirls in a cloud of purple magic. The crows let out surprised caws as the fae’s wings open up. One bravely flaps near him and attempts to land on his wing. The leathery limb flinches away from the talons, and Robbie lets out a small, nervous laugh. Sportacus whistles and caws, letting the birds know they should give the fae some room. Robbie straps on the harness and spreads his wings wide.  
“Okay. I'm ready.”  
Sportacus focuses carefully while using his magic to direct the wind once more. He listens to the caws of the birds that have decided to also join the airflow.  
“The crows say to bend your wings forward a bit.”   
Robbie does so, wobbling a bit in the air. He rises slightly in the air, letting out a soft noise of fear and flaps his wings instinctually and falls a little. Sportacus is quick to adjust the wind to cushion his friend. They continue until Sportacus grows too tired. He gently lets his friend down and then sits down. The elf begins devouring an apple, slowly regaining energy. Robbie offers some slices to the crows who snatch them up and gobble them down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I think Im going to transition to a chapter a week so I can get a little further into the plot. I hope everyone is doing okay! Keep safe and healthy!!


	20. Chapter 20

A few minutes later Robbie has the crow that had tried to land on his wing early is happily cawing in his lap, absorbing pets and screeching away the others if they try to get close. The three other crows have attached themselves to various areas on the elf. Robbie watches as his friend rises and starts playing actively with the crows, tossing a small ball which they catch in the air and then he chases till they drop it for his to throw again.  
“Do they have names?”  
The fae asks when Sportacus draws close again and is holding the ball. The elf nods and points to each one.   
“The one in your lap is called loosely, the one who seeks out victory with wit and patience. The one over there is the one who found a large fish on land. This one is biter of foes and the one who just stole the ball is thief of the wingless’s sandwiches”  
Robbie lets out a soft laugh at all of the titles. A bit later the two decide it is time to go home. Robbie finds himself reluctant to wake his new crow friend who has fallen asleep on his shoulder but pokes him gently. The bird pokes its head into his hair and caws sleepy. He looks to the elf for help. Sportacus had already dismissed the other crows who had flown away.   
“Some help?”  
“Aww. I think he likes you.”  
“Sportacaw, can you tell him I'm leaving?”  
The elf whistles and caws to the crow who grumpily caws back. It finally flaps off with a little encouragement from Sportacus. Biding each other goodbye, the two drive home for the night. Later Robbie hears a tapping at his bedroom’s window. He peaks out and sees the crow from earlier.   
“Did you follow me home? You cant stay.”  
He gets a caw through the glass at this and a few more instant taps. Opening the window, he gives the crow a little look of giving up.  
“You win. I’ll grab some strawberries, then you leave. I have to sleep.”  
The fae grabs the treat from his bookbag, also snatching up his phone.   
‘The crow showed up.’  
He fires off to Sportacus before sitting on his bed and feeding the bird. It slowly pulls apart the berry, pulling at its flesh. The fae hears his phone chime and he picks it up.  
‘Ah. Welp. Guess it means he likes u!’  
‘How do I make him leave?’  
‘It's too late if u let him in.’  
‘(-__-) thanks.’  
Robbie looks at the bird who is settling into the top of his pillow.   
“If you’re going to stay, I’m going to give you a name so I’m not just calling you it or you.”  
The bird stares at him and blinks. He reaches out and it lets him pet its head.   
“Saraan. Means to wait. Which you did until you knew I would be too tired to kick you out. Clever.” 

\------------------------------------------------------------

Sportacus sits on the wall, patientle waiting for his friend. He feels a buzz in his pocket. The elf quickly pulls out his phone, anwsering the call.  
“Hello? Sportacus speaking.”  
“Hey, Birdy can you come to the first-floor bathroom near the back door? I need someone who knows how to deal with people freaking out.”  
The elf can hear sobs in the background. He leaps from the wall and rushes inside. Bursting into the bathroom, he finds Robbie awkwardly patting a sobbing freshman who is clinging to his jacket. The blond kid is wearing a deep red coat, with small feathers poking out of the hood. The elf immediately recognizes it as a selkie skin. Specifically a swan skin. The young teenager peaks at him with glistening eyes, full of fear. He then tucks himself closer to Robbie. The fae looks anxious at this and his eyes beg Sportacus for help.  
“What happened Robbie?”  
“So, you remember those boys we stopped a bit back? Well, I felt one of them breaking the Deal and I came in here, with one of them threatening to flush his coat. Somehow he got ahold of it, without knowing the significance. I took it back along with taking what he owed for breaking the Deal. After chasing off that kid, I gave the freshy back his coat, and he hasn’t stopped crying and clinging to me. Help me birdy.”  
The last sentence is spoken with some fear cracking through the steady calm that Robbie normally held. The elf slowly approaches the two and then sits on the floor. While probably gross, he felt getting smaller would calm the selkie.   
“Hey. It’s going to be alright. Okay?”  
He gets a soft hiccup. Robbie slowly moves to sit on the floor as well and the freshman follows him down.   
“Robbie, do you have any candy, like a lollipop?”  
“Yeah?”  
The elf makes a gesture towards the sobbing child. The fae seems to take the hint and pulls a small lollipop.  
“Hey, freshy. I have a lollipop for you. Do you like cherry?”  
Sportacus see the smaller teen bob his head and gently grab the sucker. The candy seems to have a calming effect on the boy.   
“Thanks. I--I’m-m Ziggy.”  
“Oh hello, Ziggy! I’m Sportacus. And that’s Robbie. It’s very nice to meet you!”  
The boy weakly waves at him, still clutching at Robbie’s jacket hem.   
“Do you want to go to the front desk and call your parents?”  
“Ooo-okay. I-if Robbie comes.”  
The elf glances at the fae who is wearing a vaguely uncomfortable look.  
“Sure thing kid. Let’s go. No one else is going to bother you.”  
Ziggy seems to take comfort in this as the trio rises from the floor and head to the office. The two seniors stay with Ziggy in the office as he calls his parents and they come to collect him. By that time, they need to head to fourth period. As they walk Sportacus speaks up.  
“What did you take?”  
Robbie glances at him and slowly pulls out a vial filled with a golden liquid.   
“His luck. For the next month, he won’t catch any lucky breaks. Don’t break deals that don’t specify the punishment, birdy.”  
The friendly tone holds warning that Sportacus nods in recognition to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone is staying safe during this time! Heres the next chapter!


	21. Chapter 21

“You want me to do what?”  
Robbie stares at his cousin.   
“Rooobbbbiiieee. It’s just an hour or so a week. And it will get us in a better place with the Níski family, you know, one of the most influential families in the city. Plus I already told you that hours outside of school belong to the gang”  
The younger fae roles his eyes.  
“I really did not think that would cover tutoring.”  
His cousin sighs.   
“You’re honestly the only one qualified for this, seeing as the rest of us have never done well in school. We really want to stay on good terms with this family. And no one is willing to put up with their kid apparently.”  
Robbie huffs irritatedly.   
“What subject does he need help in?”  
Glanni gives a wide grin at the slow retreat into agreement that Robbie is making.  
“Math mostly. I think he’s in a higher level but is lagging behind everyone else in his class.”  
“Fine. I’ll do it.”  
“Oh good. You start tomorrow right after school. Here is the address.”  
“So Tuesdays and Thursdays?”  
“Yep! Good luck Robbie!”  
“Sure. Thanks.”  
The younger fae sighs irritably and walks up to his room and collapses on the bed. Now he had two people to lead through different subjects. And he was learning to fly. Hearing a tap at his window, the fae turns his face to his window and waves his hand absently.   
“Opnask.”  
His window moves upwards with a purple glow. A crow bounces into the room and the window slowly closes behind it.   
“Hey, Saraan. Give me a minute and I’ll grab some food for you.”  
Saraan flaps over to the fae who is still sprawled onto his bed. The bird lands on his head and starts preening the fae’s hair. Robbie simply sighs closing his eyes.   
Thursday comes faster than the fae had been expecting. He drives over to the address he had been provided, parking in front of a rather fancy looking apartment complex. According to the address the family he was coming to work for owned a three-floor complex within the building. Pretty expensive. Robbie walks into the building, riding up the elevator while running his fingers over his bookbag straps. The fae straightens his back as much as he can and starts pulling all the confidence he can muster to the front of his mind. He feels the rune on his wrist grow colder, comfort emitting from it. He taps it, taking a steadying breath. Nice to know that Sportacus is watching out for him.   
The fae knocks on the door and waits quietly for an answer. A well dress woman opens the door, gives him a disapproving once over and then ushered him into the apartment.   
“Good your here. He’s upstairs in the yellow doored room. I’ve got a meeting. Don’t blow anything up!”  
The woman quickly exits yelling out a name behind her.  
“STINGY! YOUR TUTOR’S HERE!”  
And then she was gone, vanishing through the door without any further instruction for the teenagers she had left behind. Robbie blinks and then rubs his eyes. Walking up the stairs he knocks on the yellow door. A brown-haired teen opens the door with narrowed eyes.  
“And you would be?”  
Robbie feels his wings pull themselves tighter to his back. He did not appreciate the tone. Taking an air of disinterest, Robbie leans against the door frame.  
“I’m here to tutor you in math. Names Robbie.”  
“Well, you’re not coming into MY room. Or touching any of MY stuff.”  
Robbie tilts his head, feeling power leaking from the kid at each pronouncement of ownership. He is instantly familiar with this kind of magic.  
“I don’t want to take anything. Only fool steals from a dragon. I’m your tutor.”  
The smaller teen looks at him with widened eyes. Robbie lights a small fire in his palm. Stingy blinks.  
“You know I'm a dragon. Not even my aunt and uncle have realized that.”  
“Yeah. My gang has some familiarity with them. If you don’t want to study in your room because it’s your lair, its fine. The living room looked big enough.”  
The boy quietly nods going back into his room and grabbing supplies and walks back out.  
“You cannot touch any of MY materials.”  
“That’s fine. I brought my own pencils and a calculator. I am going to have to look at your sheets and work to be able to help you with any difficulties you have.”  
Stingy grimaces, likely at the idea of anyone touching his work. Robbie snorts at the face the kid is pulling. He sits on the floor beside the and looks up at the teen. Stingy pulls out his last test, a calculator and a couple of pencils. Robbie starts going through the different problems and explaining what the younger dragon had done wrong. At the end of three hours, Stingy is grinning happily and has a better grasp of the material. Seeing that no adults had returned at the end of the session, Robbie takes pity on the kid.  
“Did your guardians leave you with any food?”  
“I think there’s a microwavable mac and cheese.”  
Robbie got the distinct feeling that this was a common meal for the teenager, who is sporting a dejected look.   
“Right. That’s not good enough. You did a really good job, and learning doesn’t stick if your stomach is hungry. Up you get. Time to cook.”  
The fae marches the smaller teen into the kitchen, making him sit at the counter. Robbie is distinctly reminded of his cousin doing this to him many times before. Robbie bustles around the room, frying potatoes, onions, and bacon. He casually chats while moving around, getting to know the other teen beyond just what he had found out through working on math. When he finishes, Robbie plops the food onto a plate and starts cleaning up. Stingy starts eating while Robbie readies himself to leave.  
“I will see you on Tuesday?”  
Robbie looks up at the question from packing his book bag. He slings it over his shoulder.  
“Yes.I’m your tutor after all.”  
“MY tutor.”  
Robbie raises an eyebrow at this statement.  
“Yep. I’ll see you around at school. Have a good night Stingy.”  
“Farewell Robbie.”  
For the next three sessions, Robbie continues to make food for the small dragon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone is well!


	22. Chapter 22

Sportacus giggles down from his seat on the wall as the crow that Robbie had named Saraan sits in the taller’s hair. Robbie casually leans back against the wall with a pair of narrowed eyes.  
“Oh, hush birdy! This is your fault.”  
The elf lets out another set of giggles as the fae tries to sound mad as Robbie plucks the crow from his hair and starts petting it, offering a strawberry.  
“I can see that you really don’t like him!”  
“Sarcasm? From you, birdy? I’m hurt.”  
Sportacus smiles as the fae flashes him a small grin. Hearing footsteps the two gang members glance at the back exit of the school, finding a small crowd of freshmen coming towards them. Sportacus recognizes Ziggy, Pixel, Stephane, and Trixie from his previous encounters with them. He sees Robbie’s grin fade away and a defensive look replace it. The elf straightens his back and puts his full attention to the group approaching them.  
“Hello Trixie, is this the group you’ve mentioned so often in class.”  
“Yep. Stephanie wanted to ask some questions and we all decided to tag along.”  
Her quick glance at Robbie and shift in her voice clues Sportacus into the freshmen collective discomfort, aside from the unknown child, with Robbie. He feels his stomach clench. Right. The Tainted Dragons are considered to be a dangerous gang and all members are held with suspicion. This sudden reminder feels like a slap in his face, but the elf buries it deep down. Robbie was his wind. They trusted each other and thus such stereotyping was beneath him. He graces the younger teens with a smile while tossing a comforting arm across his friend’s shoulders. Robbie’s shoulders droop beneath the reassurance, half relaxed.  
“What do you need?”  
Robbie speaks, an eyebrow rising. It is not unfriendly but the tone is certainly not inviting.  
“Well, um, I… I mean, we all have magic in our blood. I know that my parents don’t really know anything and I’ve talked with the others and most of us don’t really understand what we can do or what’s going on with our magic. I sensed magic from both of you and Trixie says it’s well known to magic users in town that the Tainted Dragons are fae and the Brass Falcons are elves. And you saved Pixel and Ziggy and Stingy says Robbie tutors him in math already. We wanted to ask for help with magic.”  
The girl had started out nervous, but strength quickly built inside of her voice. Her friends nod in agreement. She looks directly at Sportacus who blinks.  
“Welp. Robbie watcha think. I'm not too well versed in magic.”  
The fae blinks slowly.  
“Id need to know what I'm researching in the gang’s archives. And I’d need you to look into whatever you birds have hidden about your nest.”  
The fae slowly pets Saraan a few more times contemplation drifting across his face.  
“Is that a yes Robbie?”  
The yellow-vested teen asks. Robbie looks to Sportacus who notices his friend seems a bit overwhelmed. The elf takes over.  
“Probably not every day. But if you have specific questions on Mondays and Wednesdays we can meet at lunch and go over things. That sound good Robbie?”  
“Sure Sportaflap. Got any questions made yet? And what kinds of magic do I have to research?”  
Stingy confidently speaks up.  
“I wanted to know everything you can tell me about dragons. And transformations. I know Ziggy and Pixel wanted to learn about this too. I’ve got dragon blood, Trixie’s a pixie, Ziggy is a selkie, Pixel’s a werewolf, and Stephane is a druid.”  
Then Stephane speaks up.  
“Id like to learn some more runes, and see if you have any recommendations for finding more.”  
Robbie nods and pulls out a notebook, jotting down magic types and the questions. Saraan flaps back up into his hair as his hands become busy. Sportacus happily smiles as he sees Robbie’s interest is growing steadily. The fae quickly passes on some knowledge of apps for runes to Stephane and asks for Sportacus to explain shifting his nails into talons. The elf happily explains how to transform pieces of oneself with focus until it became almost automatic to Ziggy, Pixel, and Stingy.  
\-------------------------------

Robbie stretches his wings looking at Sportacus. They had done away with the harness and Robbie feels apprehensive. He swallows down a few deep breaths and then gives his best friend a thumbs up.  
“Ventus!”  
The fae rises upwards carefully moving his wings to stay in a hover about halfway into the rafters. They had turned the slow fall rune off so that Robbie could freely rise and fall, but this meant that there was an increased risk of getting hurt. Robbie takes another deep breath and yells down to the elf.  
“I'm going to start moving on my own.”  
“Okay! I’ll catch you if anything goes wrong!”  
Robbie experimentally flaps his wings and then dives, remembering movements he had seen in the birds. He reopens his wings, rising up. He lands on a beam and then takes off with a smile. He hears Sportacus cheering from below. Moving carefully he moves through the air and alights back on the floor. Sportacus is grinning brightly and gives the fae a high five. Robbie draws the other into a hug using his wings.  
“Thank you. Thank you so much.”  
“Hey. I was happy to do it!”  
Robbie catches a look of longing in Sportacus as the other glances at his wings that quickly leaves. Silently the fae adds another point to his research.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone's doing well! If you feel like talking you can find me on Tumblr!


	23. Chapter 23

Sportacus breathes deeply, closing his eyes and settles into a stronger stance. Thick quietness fills the personal library of the elves, filled with only his breaths. The wizard spell he is about to attempt is a little different than the ones he was used to using. Normally the magic would be based on cold or wind, but this one was a little more complicated than simple manipulation of the elements. He puts his hands out as Robbie had instructed him.  
“Volito Codices! Solum Transformo!”  
He hears movement slipping through the air. Peeking out between his lashes, he sees books moving around opening and flipping through and bookmarks appearing between relevant pages. Then the books close start piling themselves on a nearby table neatly. Fully opening his eyes, Sportacus smiles brightly and pulls out a notebook. He sits at the table and opens the first book and begins taking notes from the marked pages. Shifting into various positions, Sportacus slowly makes his way through the pile of books that has stopped piling up. After he finishes each book he sends it back to where it came from with another spell. He feels very pleased with himself, happily humming a tune as he makes his way through the information he had promised to gather. So lost in his work, the elf does not notice his older brother enter the room.   
“Brother? What is going on? How are you doing this?”  
Sportacus freezes, as a book drops from both the air and his hands. He blinks over at his brother who is standing confused in the doorway.  
“Just doing some research. I know we can change our nails to talons and we can get feathers on our arms sometimes.”   
“Okay. Not really what I was asking? Tiu? The floating books?”  
Sportacus rubs his fingers across his notebook, thinking through how much he wants to share. He had never had a situation like this before where he actively wanted to keep something from his brother. That something being his lessons from Robbie.  
“I have been testing out a new way to use magic. Like I know how to use it in my muscles and how to soften landings, but I wanted to dabble in wizardry.”  
His brother blinks, silent and clearly waiting for more.   
“Here I’ll show you. Ventus!”  
Sportacus pushes wind towards his brother, winding around the other’s torso in a familiar pattern that he had used so often on Robbie. His brother stumbles against the door frame with a small look of shock.   
“You can use wizard spells?! Elves are supposed to only have access to elven magic!”  
“Well, that’s not accurate apparently. I can mainly only do the ones related to our clan’s element and season. So cold and wind. I could probably do spells related to our siren blood, but I haven’t tested it.”  
“How did you even think of this in the first place?”  
Sportacus shrugs and lets out a soft nervous chuckle.   
“I’m not sure?”  
Suddenly his palm grows very warm as his crystal goes off. He can feel Robbie’s fear thick through their court/clan bond. He yanks out his phone ignoring his brother’s questions that follow him out of the room after he has snatched up his notebook. The phone gives a couple of rings before Robbie answers.   
“Robbie? What’s going on? Where are you?”  
“I saw her. Did I see her?”  
The elf can hear the sound of wind on the phone. He knows who his friend is talking about.  
“You’re on the move. Okay. Get somewhere safe and off the road. Are you nearer to the factory or home?”  
“Sportacus, whats going on?”  
His brother’s voice cuts in and distracts the elf who had retreated to his room to grab his keys.  
“Factory…Can… can you-u come?”  
“Yeah, buddy. I’ll be right there. Deep breaths, okay? I can stay on the phone.”  
The elf blocks out his brother completely quickly grabbing up his keys and his bookbag, in case he did not return home. His brother stands in his way, arms out concern carved into his face.  
“Tiu? Tell me what is going on.”  
“B-ir-dy…”  
A soft sob comes across his phone’s speakers into his ears.  
“Brother. I’ve got to go. A classmate needs me.”  
“I can help you.”  
“You can’t. I’ve gotta go. Please move.”  
Sportacus feels his palm getting even warmer. His brother frowns at him.  
“Tiu? Why can’t I help?”  
“My friend is having a personal problem that would be inappropriate for me to share. Now move.”   
His brother steps aside and Sportacus rushes out of the house, hopping onto his motorcycle.

\-----------------------------

Robbie curls up quietly in his room he had created at the factory. Warm tears slip against the palms he has pressed to his face. He can feel the reassurance flowing from the cold symbol on his wrist as he hears Sportacus’s voice coming through his phone’s speakers, which are set to speakerphone. Shakes wrack his body as he remembers the person he had seen. Thick black hair, pined up. Blood red lipstick, black mascara around the face. A deathly white pallor. The memories of the years beneath her hand bubble up. It had to be her, who else could make his stomach turn to stone. Her magic was there. He could still smell the thick scent of watermelons, sickly sweet and suffocating, forcing him to acknowledge her presence.  
His mind breaks free as he feels some on entering into the factory territory. This is soon followed by a soft knock. The door cracks open.  
“Robbie?”  
“Birdy. She was there I swear. I saw her just outside fae territory.”  
“Hey. I believe you.”  
Through bleary eyes, he can see the other enter and come to sit beside him.   
“How? Why?”  
“Well, for how, she was banned from fae territory, not the city. So she can still enter. And why, I don’t know Robbie. But if she tries anything you have me and your cousin. I’ll always come when you need me, okay?”  
The fae absorbs these words, leaning against his friend with a deep breath. He feels fingers on his forehead.   
“You’re freezing.”  
The fae blinks, becoming aware of his clammy skin. A soft oh escapes his mouth. A blanket is draped across his shoulder.   
“What if she tries to take me back Sportacus?”  
“Well, let’s work through this, okay? Your what, 18, 19? She has no legal hold over you if she tried that route and she cannot get to you in fae territory without alerting your gang. So that leaves you at risk at school, where I am and maybe here? But I think the factory is fairly safe because no one but us can enter without permission. What you should do is tell your cousin and maybe give me a picture of her. I can tell my brother and the rest of my gang that she is a known magical troublemaker that has been spotted in the area.”  
“But how will you explain that you know about her?”  
“I don’t know…”  
Robbie watches the elf who stares at the wall. Silently, he also considers the problem, finding these thoughts to be a nice distraction from the overbearing fear her presence brought.   
“I’ll just give you a photo. And watch out for the strong smell of watermelon. She loved to wear perfume that coincided with her magic.”  
“Can you give me a color to look for in relation to her magic?”  
“Light green magic.”  
“Okay. We’ve got this. You do not have to face this alone okay? You never have to face anything alone.”  
Robbie nods closing his eyes as he feels the warmth of friendship slowly rise in his gut.   
“Thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things have been a bit crazy lately and I forgot to post!! Im gonna post two chapters to make up for it. Also, note I have changed the final number of chapters from ? to 28. I have an end goal. Thank you so much for reading this far!!


	24. Chapter 24

Sportacus glances at Robbie as he shows his notes to their small gathering outside during lunch that next Monday. His friend had told his cousin about his mother’s return and had sent the elf a picture of the woman in question. She had a distinct look, chilling Sportacus through just a photo. The fae looks better than he had been, eyes lit with excitement at the new information about different types of magic. Sportacus shifts into stretches, getting a little twitchy. The freshmen seem to be deeply interested in the explanations of transformations that he had been able to find. Sportacus decides to stop thinking and start explaining how transformation works.   
“Okay, so have you all heard of meditation?”  
The whole group nods.  
“Good. Now my clan practices a movement focused kind of meditation. This allows us to turn inwards so we better know our magic and how to manipulate it on the inside.”  
He hops down from the wall and settles into a familiar stretch; arms reaching upwards legs firmly planted with a deep breath.  
“This is one of the stretches we use. At first, close your eyes and seek out your magic. Later it comes naturally without the closed eyes. I’m not sure what it will feel like to each of you, but for my gang, it’s a wintery wind that travels through our veins. When you can feel it, memorize how it feels until you know it like you know your hands.”  
The freshmen immediately start imitating his pose and Robbie soon joins with a look of curiosity. The elf corrects each pose and tells them how to deepen their focus. 

\----------------------

Robbie takes the lead for the next “lesson” on Wednesday. He shows off the different brands of magic that he is familiar with, except for draconic. He explains the use of runes to create reservoirs of magic that could be activated later and the use of them to amplify magic use. Focusing mainly on druid and wizard runes, Robbie has the freshman practice drawing them and feeling which ones seem to suit them best. He already has a couple of theories that he shares.   
“Pixel, given your nature, moon-related magic in any field will likely be the easiest, along with darkness spells. If you can figure out which element your draconic blood has command over, I could better point out runes for you. In fact, if all of you could tell me which feel easiest I can better seek out further runes for you to practice.”  
Robbie straightens his leather jacket, a nervous tick. He feels weird offering out so much help to others. When it had just been Sportacus it had been less odd. But, the fae quietly supposes, the excited looks on the freshmen’s faces makes up for the extra research. Plus all the information is useful to him anyways. He had been able to come across a lot of new spells and runes this way.   
“Robbie?”  
The fae blinks back into the present at the sound of his best friend’s questioning voice. He gives a small smile of reassurance breathes out a reply.  
“I was trying to remember something.”  
“Okay. The bell just rang. I’ll see you in fourth period.”   
“See you later birdy.”  
The fae rises from his place against the wall with a small sigh.  
__—————————  
Sportacus stares upwards as Robbie flaps his wings. The fae dips through the beams, flying far more confidently than he had the weekend before. Sporticus smiles happily at his friend’s success. Robbie lands beside him with a matching smile. His wings curl loosely around his shoulder.   
“Thank you Sportaflap.”  
“I already told you that I was happy to help.”  
Sportacus gives his companion a friendly little shove. Robbie lets out a startled laugh and then ruffles the shorters hair with his wing.  
“Hey, I got something to show you. I’ve been working on it since last week.”  
The fae walks over to his room and pulls out a strange looking harness device. Sportacus tilts his head, trying to understand what the object could be for. He can see several runes carved into the metal. He recognizes the wizard runes for wind and balance and a few elvish runes for wind and unbreaking.   
“Put your arms out.”  
Sportacus complies with a puzzled look, arms in the air. Robbie hooks the straps around Sportacus, the device sitting on his back like a bookbag with straps hooking over his shoulders. These straps connect in the center of the elf’s chest.   
“Okay. So push your magic through the device to activate it.:  
The elf does so and blinks as a pair of leather wings drop out. He can kind of feel them like one feels the connection to one’s arms.  
“What? How?”  
He stretches the wings and flaps experimentally.   
“Robbie?”  
The fae simply smiles and flaps his wings in response. Sportacus touches one of his own wings gently. They are patterned with feathers causing a soft croon from Sporticus.  
“These are so cool!”  
“So you want to try to learn to fly?”  
Sportacus nods with wide excited eyes. They start in the same way that they had started Robbie, with a harness anchored to the ground. Robbie gives feedback as the elf rotates the leathery wings to better catch the air. As the hour grows late, both are chatting excitedly about flying around the factory.   
The next morning, Sportacus comes back and activates the safety layer of misty air. Then he flips around on the beams, getting used to the extra weight on his back and the new drag created by the false limbs. Around noon Robbie enters the factory floor holding a new baked good. They share the meal, practice flying some more, and as night falls settle in for a movie.   
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Robbie swerves violently as he catches sight of her just beyond the school grounds as he enters the parking lot. What was Vadin doing here? He quickly rights himself, narrowly avoiding a crash with his best friend. Parking his bike, Robbie swings off and grabs his friend’s arm. He drags the elf behind him as he rushes into the school. He can taste panic on his tongue. He continuously glances back and finds her not there, but she could come at any moment. At some point, Sportacus takes over as leader and the elf pulls Robbie into the bathroom.  
“Robbie? Breath. Come back to me and breathe.”  
The fae swallows down air, fearing that each breath could be interrupted by her unpleasant arrival. His phone goes off. Distantly he can hear ringing. He closes his eyes and grounds himself in the sound of his friend calling him back. Deep breath. And then another. Slowly his brain starts to recognize the ringtone. His cousin. Must have felt him through the court link.   
‘I must really be panicking.’  
Robbie absently thinks before breathing once more.  
“She was there. I saw her.”  
“I won’t let her get you, ok?”  
Robbie nods.  
His phone continues to ring. With a shaking hand, he answers it. Sportacus has a hand on his shoulder, supporting.   
“Ro? Are you okay?”  
“Y-yeah. Listen. Rember how I told you I had seen Vadin?”  
“Yes? Wait, did she touch you?!”  
The clear concern from his cousin encourages Robbie’s tongue to loosen.  
“No. I saw her in the Brass Falcon’s territory just outside the school. I don’t think she can enter the school grounds because we have all spent so much time here. It did freak me out.”  
“Do you want me to come to get you?”  
“No. I’m feeling better. Thank you for offering.”  
“Always little Ro. Let me know if you reconsider. Do I need to stay on the line?”  
Robbie leans against his friend and closes his eyes. He feels stable once more.  
“No. But could you… could you come after school? To make sure she’s not there when I go home.”  
“Of course.”  
Robbie whispers his thanks, taking a deep breath.  
“Thank you.”  
“LOoove you!!”  
Robbie flushes and mumbles back.  
“Love you too Glanni. Goodbye.”  
“Bye Ro. Call me if anything changes, ok?”  
“Okay.”  
Robbie hangs up with a breath and gives a half-grin to his best friend. Sportacus gives him a reassuring smile back. The elf pats his friends back and both straighten up from the wall. Both become aware of the male freshmen staring at them from their little study group.  
“Are you okay Robbie?”  
Ziggy questions. The fae works up a smirk.  
“Never better. All good here.”  
This seems to reassure the three. Then everyone has to scramble to get to class on time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!!


	25. Chapter 25

Sportacus hurries through the school to get to where he and Robbie spent lunch. His second-period teacher had held him back to discuss his struggle with the new unit they had just started. He turns a corner and finds Robbie standing in front of Ziggy and Pixel, blocking them from a group of upperclassmen. He recognizes three of them from previous encounters. His brain freezes as he sees a fist go flying at his best friend. The elf’s legs move before his mind and he leaps to take the blow. It smashes into his crystal and the elf rolls. Robbie surges forward to knock the assailant off of his feet.   
Sportacus rolls into an upright position, pulling himself forward enough to kick the legs out from under two of the other teens. Robbie rams another with his shoulder and pulls the elf to his feet. Sportacus can feel his magic start to spark violently and the feeling of pure ice fills his veins. He snarls at the two teens that are still standing. Both he and Robbie rush forward, and Sportacus can hear his voice swirling upwards into a violent melody. They knock down the still standing boys and turn to face the three that are rising. Their hands are firmly clamped over their ears with tears starting to stream down their cheeks. The bullies back away and Sportacus moves to chase them. His mind feels static-y besides a deep-freezing desire to rip into them with talons.   
He is stopped by someone firmly grabbing onto him. Sportacus speeches, talons already scratching at the limb that is restraining him. He is forced to turn and is yanked into a tight hug. The smell of blueberries and sugar gives him pause. He still felt danger, but he can recognize his holder as a close clan member. He warbles out a song, shifting from his battle tune to one of confusion and asking for assurance. The hug, which he recognizes now as a more friendly gesture than he had first thought, tightens reassuringly as warm magic tingles over him, focusing heavily at his cracked crystal. He warbles again as he hears a soothing voice and words being spoken quickly with worry. He spots movement over the shoulder of his clan member, and not recognizing the figure immediately starts spitting out a warning song.  
Sportacus wiggles to try to get at the dangerous figure that is trying to sneak up on his clanmate. The hug tightens as he is lifted and finally, finally, he gets a song in return. It is off, not a true siren song, but he can feel the thrum of assurance from his clanmate. They are watching out. They have him while he is damaged. Fear clangs in his head as ice continues to swirl through his veins with no control. In his subconscious, Sportacus knows this is not quite right. His crystal is broken and his magic is icing over his nervous system. His mouth feels wrong and his talons dig into the back of his clanmate as the pain starts to spill into his senses. He senses movement and increased movement, but the only response he can muster is a trill of pain, which gets him a wave of warm magic aimed at comforting. Blood drips down his chin as his eyes slip closed. Huh. The taste of blood fills his mouth before he fully loses touch with the world.  
\-----------------------

Robbie clutches his best friend worriedly. The other had passed out while the fae had been rushing to the office. Talons were still dug into his shoulder, but in a way, Robbie is thankful for them. The small amount of pain is grounding and keeps him focused on getting help rather than freaking out over his bleeding friend. He had used his magic to gather all the shards of the crystal and fuse it together, but he can still feel his friend’s magic going absolutely crazy. He enters the office to startled glances and gasps.  
“I need you to call Sportacus’ brother.”  
The secretary seems to be frozen. Robbie feels annoyance burn as he starts to feel his arms ache under the weight of his best friend.  
“Sometime today. He needs his brother and I cant call him.”  
The principal chooses this moment to enter.  
“I thought I had been clear, no gang violence on school grounds! And watch your tone!”  
“Does it look like I’m fighting Sportadumb? I need someone to get his family.”  
A growl slips out. He can feel his own magic growing tenser as the bond whimpers with Sportacus’ injury. He is half tempted to attack both adults and steal the phone directory. The secretary seems to break from her trance and pulls out a book and finds the number. Robbie hopes for his friend’s sake it is his brother’s. The principal is glaring at him.   
“Care to explain yourself, young man?”  
“Uh yeah. There were some freshmen getting attacked. I was in the way and the Sportaflip lept into the fray. Pretty nasty. You check your security and find those five boys. Pretty unforgivable behavior.”  
Her eyes narrow.   
“So you provoked them.”  
Robbie feels his stress bubbling up and anger starting to slip. He was having a pretty rotten day. First a sighting of Vadin and then a surprise attack, and now a blacked-out Sportacus tightly clinging to him, who probably really needed an elf to check on the whole broken crystal mess. He snaps.  
“Lady, I don’t know what your problem is. I don’t know how the h*ll you got that I provoked them out of anything I just said. I got attacked. My best friend is passed out and bleeding on my shoulder and no one has the decency to call his brother to come help. Back off.”  
“How DARE you speak to me that way young man. You are looking at an out of school suspension! You Tainted Dragon gang members are all the same. Your lucky I don’t call the cops every time you enter the building.”  
Robbie bares his teeth, hands shaking slightly as he still holds his damaged friend. With half an ear, he can hear the secretary rapidly filling in someone who Robbie is 90% sure is Sportacus’ brother about the current situation.  
“Check the tapes.”  
Robbie says with a note of finality before going to stand by the door, ready to hand off his friend to the elves when they came. The principal snarls and stand there to watch him, deciding to make sure he won’t attack anyone else after she sends off security to find the other five boys involved with the incident. Robbie rocks on his feet hoping that the elves would come quickly. Under his breath, he sings the song that had first calmed his friend after the fight, the same song Sportacus had used for him a while ago.


	26. Chapter 26

Sportacus wakes up when he feels someone trying to remove him from his clanmate. He screeches and clings tighter. He trills out fear, digging his talons in to get a better grip. He feels disoriented and scared. His mouth still tastes irony and his skin feels frozen. He curls closer to his clanmate who begins singing the not siren song once more. But it is familiar in its own way. He can tell that he will not be given up. The elf hears a second song and a new magic slip over his skin. He calms and takes a breath, but his hold does not loosen. 

\--------------------------

Robbie stares at the leader of the elvish gang. He had tried to hand Sportacus over but the smaller had woken with a fit. The ache of the talons digging deeper is at the back of the fae’s mind as he softly sings Get You Head in the Game. The older elf places his hand onto Sportacus’ head and uses some mustard smelling magic accompanied by a song. Sportacus does not let go despite falling back to unconsciousness. Robbie continues to hum with worry crossing his face. The older elf looks to be in deep contemplation.  
“His crystal broke. I got all the pieces but…”  
The elf’s eyes lock with his and he gestures to leave. Then the Falcon turns to the secretary and principal.  
“Thanks for calling me. I’m taking my brother home.”  
Robbie follows him out before any of the office personnel can say something. A dark cloud seems to come over the elf who walks ahead of him.  
“I don’t know what you did, but if his crystal remains fractured it’ll be very dangerous for his health. You are coming with me because trying to remove him in this state could get very violent. I want no funny business.”  
The command is clear and Robbie bows to it like he would to any of his own kings. In a weird way, his magic is telling him that the elvish leader is just as much a king to him as his cousin. Probably something to do with the sub- court thing he has with Sportacus. He nods complacently and gets on his motorcycle, adjusting slightly his hold on his best friend.  
‘It’s going to be alright.’  
They take off into the elvish territory, Robbie’s senses screaming at him he is in a dangerous place. While closely following the other, his eyes dart around fearfully looking for a hint of Vadin. Upon reaching the apartment that housed the elves, Robbie lifts his friend and walks in. He feels his heart beating against his rib cage, hands slightly trembling. He is lead to his best friend’s room. Robbie tries to put Sportacus down, but the elf wakes up and lets out a panicked screech.   
Robbie panics and pulls him tightly back into the hug. He trembles, unsure of himself. He looks to his friend’s brother who is frowning while he leans against the wall. The fae sees no help from there so he refocuses on his friend. He starts singing a different song from one of the musicals they had shared and he shakes his friend gently. This seems to rouse Sportacus into a higher level of alertness. Robbie moves to the beat of the song. He gets a response hum and he sees his friend’s open eyes. He continues the tune but shifts into new words.  
“Come on birdy lets put you to bed. I’ll stay right here, okay?”  
Sportacus hums the tune back to him and let’s go, slipping onto the bed and adjusting to clinging with his right hand onto Robbie’s right wrist, their court symbols close. The fae lowers himself into a chair next to the bed. Sportacus’ brother comes over and grabs the younger elf’s crystal. He freezes and then pulls up the fae’s sleeve with a snarl.   
“What is this?”  
Sportacus’ eye snap to his brother and an unhappy croon slips out as his right-hand reaches back for Robbie. The fae is frozen at the exposure of his sub-court symbol. He glances quickly at Sportacus’ grasping hand. The older elf takes note and pulls the fingerless glove off of his brother. His eyes narrow at the symbol. Robbie takes back his friend’s hand, knowing from experience that the closeness helps with stability. The older elf frowns deeply. Robbie swallows and looks into the other’s eyes.  
“Look. I know this is bad. But you’ve got to help him first.”  
Robbie grips his friend’s arm. The older elf nods and takes Sportacus’ crystal.   
“I’ve got to get this crystal healed. His magic will probably grow more unstable. I’m going to bring some guards, so don’t do anything.”   
The older leaves with a worried frown. Robbie goes back to trying to keep his friend calm, singing. This both seems to affect his friend and serve as a distraction from the staring eyes of the two elves that enter the room. Exhaustion from the sheer amount of worry eventually leads him to slump over onto the bed as he falls asleep.

\----------------------------

Sportacus wakes up with an odd feeling in his mouth. He blinks slowly as his tongue moves across sharp teeth lazily. Oh. Sharp fangs. That’s new. His mind feels muddled. He feels comfortably warm, with soft sent of sugar and blueberries. He blinks again. There was no singing. He remembers the siren song. Ah. His clan mate is asleep next to his bed. He croons out soft song and closes his eyes as he tightens his grip. Breathing between the notes, he lets calm surround his mind as he slips back asleep.   
When he wakes up again he blinks tiredly. His breath feels cold, an odd juxtaposition to the warmth hovering close to his skin. Lazily he turns his head and stares at his clanmate. Robbie. Who is a fae. In his room. Inside elf territory where she can come.  
Sportacus’ mind snaps into clarity and a rush of fear slices through his system. He pushes himself up with a high pitched wail. Robbie startles awake and takes his arm.  
“You’ve gotta leave! It’s not safe!”  
This is what Sportacus intends to come out, but he hears it coming out as a garbled mess of elvish and siren song. Robbie shakes his head and presses thee elf back down.  
“Shh. It’s okay. Your brother is getting your crystal healed. It’s all okay.”  
Sportacus answers with a cough, causing Robbie to glance at the door. Sportacus looks too, spotting two guards.  
“Could one of you let, um, your leader that Sportacus is awake?”  
Sportacus grimaces at the nasty look Robbie receives before one of the guards exits. Robbie adjusts the bedding and Sportacus takes note of fear shining in his friend’s eyes. He softly lets a melody fall into the silence between them. He knows something is very wrong but he tries to concentrate on making a tune Robbie will know. Robbie responds by patting his arm and singing softly back. Sportacus feels so tired. Blinking, he watches as his friend settles into a more relaxed position in the chair at his bedside. He feels the mark behind his ear pulse coldly as someone else enters the room. His brother. Oh! He can warn him! His words tumble out along the tune he had been trilling out to Robbie.   
“Shes after him! Don’t let her near him!”  
He gets a look of confusion from his brother who comes to stand beside the bed. He responds in elvish, calming, and cool.  
“Its okay Sportacus. Breath. Your safe here.”  
Sportacus feels annoyance bubble under his slowly remuddling mind. He needed to tell him about her before he slept again. Just in case she came.  
“Not me. No. Him! Traustanemos is in danger here. Vadin can come!”  
Panic begins to overwhelm Sportacus. He has to make sure his best friend is safe. He has to fight for him! Robbie is sitting beside him with a face of confused worry. Sportacus struggles to sit up, moving a hand to cling tightly to his friend. He has to make sure the other is safe right now! His brain loses its hold on stability as his magic pushes outwards. Wind rips through the room, pulling Robbie closer while pushing others away. A barrier of ice begins to form, thin and weak. Sportacus shifts once more into a warning song. The other siren in the room responds with a reassuring answer. Hearing the assurance, Sportacus clings to his clanmate and falls back into confused darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!!


	27. Chapter 27

The leader of the elves stares daggers at Robbie who has Sportacus clinging tightly to his arms. He keeps humming while trying to work out what Sportacus could have possibly been trying to tell his brother about Vadin. Was he worried about Robbie’s safety? Stupid elf, worrying about him when he was the one fading in and out of reality.  
“Who is Vadin and who is he calling Traustanemos?”  
Robbie blinks at the question that he knows is aimed at him. The elf sounds stressed and threatening. The fae takes a second to think over his options and decides to just let it all come out.  
“I’m Traustanemos. Sportacus and I have been hanging out together for a while. Not much else to do at lunch. Vadin is a lady who has a bit of a beef with me. She was banished from our side of the city, but I have seen her a few times just outside of fae territory.”  
The elf blinks clearly taken aback by the straightforwardness of his answers. Robbie decides to keep going.   
“I’m Robbie Rotten by the way.”  
“Íþróttaálfurinn.”  
Robbie nods. He falls into silence as he stares out the window, away from the room. His hands tremble.  
“Why?”  
The question breaks the silence and Robbie flinches.  
“Why what?”  
“Why does he trust you? How did you get clan bonded? How is that even possible?”  
“I don’t know. It started out simple enough, just hanging out at lunch. I’m not sure when that shifted.”  
He does not want to revel the factory. He wanted Sportacus to be more aware before giving up information about their territory. Íþróttaálfurinn narrows his eyes but shifts his attention when Sportacus stirs slightly with a fear-filled warble. Robbie responds by humming softly some more. The elf eventually leaves to get supplies for Sportacus. Robbie eventually falls asleep, ending his second day at the elvish clan’s home. 

\----------------------------------

Sportacus twists himself until he is able to sit up against his headboard. He blinks at his room. Robbie is snoring beside him. Fangs dig uncomfortably against his mouth as his talons brush across his bedding. He notes absently small blueish feathers that now decorate his arms. A noise in the doorway draws him from his inspection.   
“Tiu?”  
“Hey, brother.”  
Íþróttaálfurinn frowns and sits on the edge of his bed, opposite the side where Robbie is sleeping.  
“Don’t hey brother me! I was so worried!”  
Sportacus winces, tracing a finger across his bed coverings.  
“Sorry…”  
He mumbles. His magic swirls across his fingers, icing over his black talons.   
“When were you going to tell me about your clan bond with that fae?”  
His eyes snap up.  
“What?!”  
Sportacus immediately that his palm is exposed. His brother’s frown deepens.  
“So never. Sportacus this is dangerous! It could be impacting your magic negatively! He is from a spring fire court. Emphasis on the fire! You’re from a winter wind clan. Fire and winter aren’t exactly a healthy mix! And a fae! Did he trick you into this?!!”  
“Robbie would never trick me like that!”  
Sportacus feels offended on behalf of his friend. A breeze slowly begins to circulate the room.   
“Oh really! Fae are in a constant state of trickery and deal-making!”  
Íþróttaálfurinn is yelling at this point, stress leaking into his voice. Sportacus draws himself up as much as he can with the hazy wave of pain that comes from magic swirling through him uncontrolled.   
“I know Robbie. We are friends!”  
“Even if that were true how could you clan bond with him?!”  
“Because I trust him!”  
“Right, cause fae are so trustworthy!”  
The noise seems to have awoken Robbie who flinches back at all the shouting, falling out of the chair. Sportacus watches as his friend scrambles back, eyes wide with fear. He immediately stops paying attention to his brother and drags himself from the bed.   
“Sportacus! Get back to bed!”  
“Shut up! Shut up! You’re freaking my best friend out!”  
Wind violently swirls through the room, tearing posters from the wall and tossing loose papers into the air. Sportacus stumbles his friend who has his arms curled over his head. He reaches out and flinches at the sight of his own talons that he can not get rid of. He can feel panic bubbling over their bond. His brother is still shouting, but the noise is drowned out by the gale that is filling the room. Sportacus curls his talons into a fist and rubs his knuckles across Robbie’s arm.  
“Robbie. Come back to me. I’m sorry.”  
He whispers, hoping his voice is loud paired with their proximity to each other is enough for his friend to hear him. The only response he gets is a sob.   
“No. Its okay Robbie. Your safe with me.”  
Sportacus moves closer when he does not get a negative response. He continues to rub small circles on his friend’s arm with his knuckles. The gale is still tearing up his room and he can see Robbie shiver. Right. Dragon blood. Needs warmth.   
“Volito lodicula!”  
There is an explosion of magic and Sportacus is smacked in the face by a blanket. The gale dies as he slumps. He drags the blanket over his friend, whose breathing has evened out. Robbie leans against him and Sportacus hums.   
“You’re okay. Safe.”  
He resumes rubbing circles as he gets a huff in reply. He tiredly looks over to his brother who seems on the edge of gaping. The fae mumbles quietly, the sobs slowly stopping. Sportacus more firmly tucks the blanket onto his friend. The other curls tightly under the blanket, and leans more heavily against Sportacus as he falls back asleep. The elf looks back to his brother who has moved closer and is now crouching in front of him.   
“I’ve never seen a fae get scared like that before.”  
Íþróttaálfurinn whispers. Sportacus glances at his brother who seems to have calmed down.  
“Niu. Fae are people just like us. Robbie has hopes and fears, just like me. He’s my best friend.”  
He yawns as magical exhaustion catches up with him. His brother seems to be lost in thought.  
“How did this happen without me noticing?”  
His brother whispers, voice hitching slightly. Sportacus blinks and whistles to his brother. This causes the other to look at him in the eyes. Sportacus breathes slowly, body ready to dip back into sleep.  
“Robbie’s a good friend. Saved me from my own dangerous mistakes more than once.”  
He yawns once more. His brother’s eyes sharpen in alarm.  
“We are going to talk about this.”  
The younger elf nods lazily, eyes closing.


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: some cussing

Robbie wakes up feeling particularly cramped. He feels a biting desire to open his wings and remembers that it had been more than a day since he had opened them. He groans angrily as he opens his eyes. If it were not for the cramps in his back, the warmth brought by the blankets would make him perfectly happy to fall back asleep. He feels a block of cold beside him. He turns his head and sees his friend shivering, a thin layer of ice covering his skin. Robbie feels worry swirl over him. He looks to the guards and spots Íþróttaálfurinn asleep in the nearby chair.   
“Hey, Sportacus has ice on his skin. I don’t think you elves should get this cold?”  
Both guards look alarmed, one moving forward to shake her leader awake. Robbie turns back to his friend, placing a hand on his head. Yanking it back, he hisses at the freezer burn feeling that he had gotten. Íþróttaálfurinn awakens and moves to crouch beside his brother. He shouts for one of the other elves to grab a thermometer. Its soon in his hand, and the leader elf presses it into Sportacus’ mouth.   
“Sh*t… SH*T!!”  
Íþróttaálfurinn freaks out. He gathers his brother up and dumps him onto the bed and covers him in blankets. He yells for more and a bucket of warm water. Robbie stands off to the side, unsure of what to do. Rubbing his finger over his hands he watches as his friend is buried beneath what seems like all of the blankets the elvish clan owns. Íþróttaálfurinn looks almost desperate. Robbie sucks in-breath and straightens his back, building courage.  
“I can help.”  
The leader’s attention snaps to him. Robbie repeats more firmly.  
“I can help. Let me.”  
The elf studies him and Robbie stares him down. His best friend is on the line. The elf, slides to the side, a chance given to prove himself. Robbie decides to break one of the largest fae rules, and hopes the bond that he shares with Sportacus is enough to keep him safe. He steps forwards, slipping his jacket off. A cloud of purple magic swirls about him and his wings stretch. He manipulates his friend’s sleeping form into wearing the jacket and then rewraps him in blankets but in an upright position against the headboard. Shifting himself onto the bed, Robbie wraps one wing around his friend. He begins to murmur spells to himself, focusing on the fire that rests in the center of his chest. He valiantly ignores the stares from the elves around him. His magic wraps Sportacus in a cloud of purple, seeking out and melting away the ice. Robbie can sense the other’s magical exhaustion and responds to the pulling from across the link by feeding his magic over.   
Absently he notes that Íþróttaálfurinn has left the room. He leans back, pulling his free wing to his front to act as a personal blanket. The fae continues to weave magic around his friend, who slowly wakes up.  
“You scared me. You promised not to do that again.”  
Sportacus blinks at him and wipes away a tear from Robbie’s face.   
“I’m really sorry.”  
“Just please get through this for me.”  
Sportacus whispers promises to his friend. Robbie listens while tightening the hold of his wing on his friend, trying to believe the words tumbling through the air. He can hear some sort of commotion happening beyond the room, but ignores it, focusing on staying calm and his friend still being alive and warmer. Vaguely, he feels a tug from his fae court mark on his ankle, heating up and humming. He ignores it.

\----------------------------

Sportacus blinks at the sudden opening of the door, a little tired of his mind being so muddled. It takes him a minute to recognize Glanni, the leader of the fae, or in other words, Robbie’s cousin. He pokes his best friend who had been reading a book aloud to him to pass the time to get his attention. Robbie glances up and freezes. Glanni stands there and watches the two of them.  
“Robbie.”  
The name is said with a mixture of relief and threat. He feels his magic beginning to react through his veins.  
“Glanni… I… I should have called you.”  
“You think? You saw her and thought, “Hey, you know whats an absolutely fantastic idea? Let’s scare my cousin out of his mind for several days! With no contact! Idiot!”  
Sportacus can feel his friend wince and lets out a sharp whistle of warning. His own brother gives him a look that he ignores. Glanni barely acknowledges him, moving forwards to the bed. The elf can feel his magic beginning to slide out of his fingers and he starts singing a warning tune as his mind narrows to focus on the threat and his clanmate. The threat freezes, still too close for comfort. He feels something gently applying soothing pressure around him. Sportacus hums softly and then picks up the warning song once more. He gets a response from his clanmate, still not a proper siren song. But a familiar, calming set of notes none the less make him back down.   
There also is a real siren song rolling through the air, speaking of safety and love. So much love and worry. He scrunches his nose and tries to think through his haze. He pushes down his abstract thoughts of defense. Glanni steps back a little, worry still carved into his face.  
“Robbie… How did this even happen? I mean all of this? Why did you never tell me about your friend? This is dangerous.”  
Glanni slumps to sit against the desk, knocking papers off accidentally. Sportacus, in a sharp moment of absolute clarity, spots the contract that they had created. Unfortunately, his brother also notices. The older elf moves forwards, snatching up. He reads it and then passes it to Glanni.  
“We all need to talk now.”  
Íþróttaálfurinn announces before turning to the door.  
“Leave us.”  
The guards nod and duck out. Íþróttaálfurinn sinks into a chair wearing a frown that is matched by Glanni. Sportacus hears Robbie sucks in a large breath.   
\----------------------------  
Robbie decides that an explanation of the contract would probably be the best first step. Honestly, he had not even thought about it since the week they had created it.   
“We made a contract after Sportacus had been hanging out with me at lunch towards the middle of last semester. He felt bad for taking my time without an even trade. We established the contract as a form of a deal. One that was very very easy to void. And I started to really teach him magic after the contract. Wizard stuff mostly. And he showed me a few elvish things.”  
“How many secrets did you give up?”  
Íþróttaálfurinn asks his brother who rubs his hand anxiously. Robbie decides to take over.  
“He told me about the siren stuff, and I saw him on the winter solstice. And Glanni, he knows about the dragon blood. I showed him my wings the last time he passed out from magical exhaustion. We’ve been in a joint sub court/clan thing since the day after the winter solstice.”  
“But how did that even happen?”  
Glanni asks, grasping the information that his cousin is calmly sharing. Íþróttaálfurinn leans back in his chair, curiosity gracing his features. Sportacus takes over after a quick glance at Robbie.  
“We have…. Well. We have a joint territory where Robbie had been showing me how to control wizard spells and how to enjoy movies. We both ended up there on the solstice and recognized each other as clan. Íþrót, you’ve got to understand, Robbie has saved my life before. I did something really dumb and passed out from using all my magic a while back.”  
Robbie cuts in.  
“Sportacus has helped me out too! He helped me through more than one panic attack.”  
Glanni looks surprised by this news. Robbie shifts his wings, somewhat agitated at the judgemental face his king, and the clan leader were making. Sportacus huffs and then has a large grin fall onto his face.  
“We are best friends. We didn’t bond on purpose, but honestly, I’m happy for it. I’m sorry I never told you what was going on, and I guess it is dangerous. But Robbie has never hurt me, brother. You’ve seen that the whole time he has been here.”  
Robbie picks up the plea, directing it instead at his cousin.  
“Glanni. Sportaflap has never backstabbed me. He had so many chances. So many. But we help each other. He is the best friend that I have ever had. He knows about Vadin. And he helps me with it. Please understand that I was scared of what you would do if you found out. I’m sorry.”  
Apologies do not come easy to fae and Robbie can see the effect the words were having on his cousin. The two leaders look at each other, distrust remaining in the air between them. Sportacus leans back with a sigh, and Robbie notes how tired the other seems. Glanni straightens up and walks to Robbie.  
“I never want you to feel like you can’t tell me something. That’s what made her so powerful. I’m sad you didn’t trust me enough for this, but given the fight, our gangs have had since forever, I get it. I do. I don’t want you to be hurt that way ever again.”  
Robbie understands. Glanni knew of his emotional scares and wanted to prevent any more. The older fae ruffles his hair, making Robbie sneeze at the smell of brown sugar and the tickle of protection. Glanni turns to Sportacus.   
“Im trusting you. If he told you the story, that means you know what has happened to him. If you ever act like Vadin, I will hurt you. But feel free to stay his friend! Little Ro needs as many as he can get.”  
Glanni hat begun his speech with an air of menace but ends it with a bright smile and a hair ruffle that Robbie senses is full of the same protection. Well, that is one blessing of their friendship. Íþróttaálfurinn stands up and moves beside Glanni.   
“Sportacus, there have never been secrets kept from each other before this. I know I haven’t always been the most on top of being there for you emotionally, what with taking over the clan, and trying to raise you the best I could. I always told you to help others. And honestly, you’ve done better than everyone else by extending kindness to someone I have called an enemy. I wish you had felt safe telling me, but I’m very proud of you.”  
Íþróttaálfurinn pats his brother’s shoulder, and Robbie notes the smell of mustard. Then he sucks in a breath as the clan leader turns to him.  
“I haven’t ever trusted the fae. I probably will never completely. But I know that you, at least, have my brother’s back, especially when I can’t be there. And I am okay with this.”  
A hand is offered and Robbie shakes it, feeling a second protection spell paired with the smell of mustard. The four all stay silent, knowing that this is a turning point in the history of the city. For the first time in a long time, the leader of the fae and the leader of the elves stand in the same room without it devolving into a fight. While the leaders were not suddenly transformed into friends, the opportunity for more friendly relations had been forged. Robbie smiles and pulls Sportacus into a hug. An unusual sign of affection, but the moment of happiness seemed to call for it. Sportacus laughs happily and drags the two others into the hug. There are some complaints but everyone soon is laughing and enjoying the calm pleasant happiness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! If you like this idea and want to take it, feel free to do so! A super special thanks to Loewenflamme. Deine freundlichen Worte haben mich weitergebracht! Vielen Dank!!

**Author's Note:**

> hermesserpent-stuff is the name of my blog. Feel free to get in contact with me! If you have any questions just let me know!


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